Larchmont Police Dept.

This email is circulating between residents in Larchmont:

Our neighbor’s house was broken into last night (Thursday) while she was in the house. Like the burglaries in the last few months, the burglar got into her car, opened the garage and broke into the house at around 3 AM. He took laptops, wallets, etc. He didn’t go upstairs. And according to the police, the burglar also likes good leather–he takes the good handbags but leaves the non-designer ones behind.

Unfortunately the Village of Larchmont Police Department has a policy of not releasing public information until it decides when to do so. Reporters are referred to the online police blotter. The current police blotter (as of 1/27) only reports crimes from 1/16-1/20.

A First Amendment lawyer we spoke with today says he believes this policy violates Freedom of Information laws in New York.

An automated phone call the week of Jan. 9 warned residents about a rash burglaries since Thanksgiving.

A recent robbery in the Town of Mamaroneck section of Larchmont also inspired email warnings among residents. There has been no significant break in that case, according to Town Police.

We will continue to press VOLPD more information. Feel free to email me at editor@theloopny.com with information or questions.

We began the week with a photo of this statue standing bravely through last weekend’s snow fall.

Today’s Double Take, submitted by Jennifer, shows him at a different angle.

She writes, “Is it just me, or is this statue ‘shaking the dew off the lily’?”

Submit your funny, ironic, weird, ridiculous, etc. local photo to our looppool on flickr, and we’ll post one at the end of every weekday.

These two Large Bearded Dragons were snapped at the Westchester Reptile Expo earlier this month.  The next reptile show in Westchester will be in April.

We’ll alternate daily between animals for adoption and your fun or interesting animal and pet photos.  Just email editor@theloopny.com with ‘Pet Project’ in the subject and include the name of your pet and your town. Or upload your photos to the looppool on flickr .

photo: Jacqueline Silberbush

This should really drive home how weird this winter’s weather is. We posted these photos by Patti Roberts of snowfall in Larchmont Manor on theLoop one year ago today. (As I write, it’s 55 degrees outside.)

So, the custom shoes and handmade bag (or rather the $4,000 price tag) may not be in the cards. But it’s well worth visiting Occhicone Fine Leather Goods in Port Chester even if there’s nothing bigger than a resole or luggage repair on your to-do list, just to soak up the expert craftsmanship.

Customers describe repairs and leather fixes here as “just amazing.”

The family-run store has at its helm 81-year-old Joseph Occhicone, an Italian-born and taught leather expert who honed his skills like a true artisan. “You get a couple of years training and then experience for your whole life” he says.

Occhicone had shops in Italy and Manhattan before settling down on Main Street 31 years ago. And sharing his affinity for fine Italian goods does not have to put you in the red.  His shop sells ready-made leather accessories and shoes, some with a very palatable price tag under $100.

Occhicone Fine Leather Goods is located at 42 N. Main St., Port Chester. 937-6327. No website.

Two of the area’s biggest public libraries have each just named new Directors.

Laura Eckley, new Director Larchmont Public Library

Effective February 6, in Larchmont, comes Laura Eckley, who spent nine years at the Bronxville Library, becoming Director in 2009. She will replace June Hesler, who served as Acting Interim Director since the retirement last summer of former director Diane Courtney.

Larchmont Library

Susan Riley, new Director Mamaroneck Library

Susan Riley has been named the new director of the Mamaroneck Library, replacing Susan Benton, who retired at the end of December. Riley was most recently the Director of the Mount Kisco Library  She has previously worked in the Greenburgh Library, the White Plains Public Library, the Ardsley Library, the Chappaqua Library, and the Ossining Public Library, according to the library board’s announcement.

Mamaroneck Library

Interesting factoids:

Total annual operating expenses in 2010:
Larchmont Library:   $1,586,233
Mamaroneck Library: $1,279,965

Largest library in County system: Mount Vernon
Biggest circulation: Yonkers:

photos: larchmont library from wikimedia commons, remaining photos from Westchester Library System

In Larchmont, 1 Helena Avenue is known as the Gingerbread Cottage. It is one of the most distinctive and recognizable homes in the area.

It was built in 1872 by the Larchmont Manor Company as one of the first six summer cottages in the subdivision. It was purchased by Frank Ellingwood Towle, a civil engineer employed by the City of New York, whose father had been associated with Frederick Law Olmstead in laying out Central Park.

Towle was engaged as engineer by the Manor Company. This was the Towle family summer home for over 50 years.

–from Larchmont Then and Now: A Photohistory, Fountain Square Press, copyright 2002 by Anne Marie Leone and Judith Doolin Spikes. Used with permission.

Here’s an oldie: Five things you may not know about the neighborhood.

Loop TV: Believe it or Not from looptv on Vimeo.

“I don’t want to be buried…in a pet cemetery,” sang the Ramones. But some people do.

Back in June we told you about the woman who wanted to be buried in the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery with her loved ones: her dog and her four cats. The State’s Cemetery Board said no.

Now, things have changed. The state Division of Cemeteries has resurrected regulations that once again permit pet owners to have their ashes interred with their beloved animals in pet cemeteries like the 115-year old one in Hartsdale, the State’s best known.

“My wish has been granted and I will be able to be with my furry family forever,” Rhona Levy of the Bronx was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Human ashes are allowed at pet cemeteries that follow certain conditions, such as not advertising that they take humans. Hartsdale has an estimated 700 humans interred with about 75,000 animals.

photos: Natalie Maynor

The Mamaroneck School District’s prekindergarten program, which serves primarily low-income and special needs kids, and is housed at Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School, may be on the chopping block, parents fear.

(one comment below reads, ““When I spoke with superintendent Shaps office this afternoon, I was actually surprised by how candid they were in admitting that they were considering such significant changes to the program that it merited stopping the application process indefinitely.”)

As a Mamaroneck resident wrote us in an email:

It seems that the Mamaroneck School District is considering cancelling its Pre-K program for next school year.

For the past few months, the district website announced that Pre-K applications would be available beginning on Jan. 23. This week, all mention of the Pre-K application process has been removed from the site, and parents who called the Mamaroneck Avenue School are being told that the program is being reevaluated in light of the budget and applications are not being sent out.

The District’s Pre-K program was created in 1965 to serve children unable to attend tuition-based nursery schools. Programs for kids with special needs were added 10 years later.

A district spokeswoman did not give a direct answer when asked whether the program’s future is in limbo.

“There have been no decisions to change the program,” the spokeswoman, Debbie Manetta says.  “The applications are not being posted yet – we will let the community know when they are available,” despite the earlier announcement they were to have been available starting last Monday.

“Each year, every single budget item is brought to the table and looked at carefully by the district, the board and community members,” she says. “Decisions have not been made at this point to make changes to any program, including Pre-K.”

Submit your funny, ironic, weird, ridiculous, etc. local photo to our looppool on flickr, and we’ll post one at the end of every weekday.

Manners 101.

Seen at a Scarsdale bakery by Maura

We’ll alternate daily between animals for adoption and your fun or interesting animal and pet photos.  Just email editor@theloopny.com with ‘Pet Project’ in the subject and include the name of your pet and your town. Or upload your photos to the looppool on flickr .

From Shelter Manager Dana Rocco at NRHS:

Ears! Yes, that is her name. Ears is a Whippet mix (??) That is our best guess. Ears is a spayed female sweetie that is five months old. When fully grown we are estimating her to be about 20lbs. Ears is a very playful dog that loves meeting new people.

The New Rochelle Humane Society transferred her from the Brooklyn Animal Care and Control to help alleviate their crowded shelter and help Ears find a home. Adoption fee $200 includes spay, microchip, vaccines, heartworm test, collar, ID tag and food.

Open everyday for adoption including Saturday and Sunday.

Larchmont IHOP

Apparently, things can get a little crazy at the IHOP in Larchmont after hours.

Police say that last Thursday, January 19 about 10:30 pm, two workers with the fire prevention contractor, Tristate Fire Prevention in Mount Vernon, got into a bit of an argument after the restaurant closed.  A fight broke out and the defendant reportedly threatened his coworker with a knife.  Police arrested and charged him with 2nd Degree Menacing.

They’re not saying if it was butter or steak.

A manager at Tristate tells us the men are no longer on the same crew. “They’ve been separated,” she said.

photo: Jacqueline Silberbush

Some people in Larchmont brag about living in a village with two independent bookstores. But there’s another one down the road you should know about. Another that understands that when buying (not to mention the increasingly rare art of browsing) for books can mean sifting through tightly packed shelves, reading the back of book jackets and getting lost among stacks of everything from big, fat reference books to romantic trash? Hats off to Diane’s Books in Greenwich for preserving the experience of serendipitously finding something new to read.

Passionately owned by Diane Garrett, who boasts stocking four-times more books than the average superstore, Diane’s Books is everything on-line shopping is not: intimate, informative and interesting, complete with book-loving staff to help you wade through the store’s vast collections (or leave you alone if that’s what you’re looking for). Coined “A Family Bookstore,” Diane’s has scores of options for its youngest customers on up.  In this day of e-buying — let alone e-reading — Diane’s Books’ ability to be going strong 22 years after opening its doors speaks volumes. Thousands of them.

Built in 1920 at 415 Huguenot Avenue, New Rochelle.

City Historian Barbara Davis says that when commercial buildings were constructed in the late part of the 1800s and early 1900s, no expense was spared.

“This was certainly the case when the owner of the J. A. Mahltstedt Lumber and Coal Company (incorporated 1895) erected a handsome Neo-Classical Revival style building for his thriving enterprise’s offices. The limestone two-story structure was prominently sited just opposite the Soldier’s Monument at the west junction of Huguenot and Main Streets.”

The lumber yards were located directly behind the building.  The Mahlstedt family had deep roots in the community including running the ice manufacturing business on the lake that is now the Twin Lakes in front of New Rochelle High School.  The pink family home on the lake is now the Huguenot branch (the Childrens Library) of the Public Library.

Mahlstedt Ice House where the High School lakes are now, c. 1920.

New Rochelle High School, opened in 1926, originally called Woodrow Wilson High School

The Mahlstedt businesses closed following The Depression. The building served as a temporary site of the Post Office, offices for the New Rochelle Water Company, and the Landis Hardware Store. At some point the upper part of the facade was covered with an aluminum cap, hiding the lettering.

Those letters again appear.  After purchasing the property in 2008, the current owner invested money and in expertise to restore it.

I included the photo with the UPS truck because it shows how far the building now tilts to the right.

Black and white images courtesy New Rochelle Public Library Local History Collection

If you missed the award-winning film Gasland, about hydraulic fracturing, not to worry, you can see it– for free–as part of a newly announced local film festival.

From March 3rd through 12th, the Village and Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Larchmont will host Green Screen, a free film festival of eight environment-themed movies, for grownups and kids.

Each screening will be followed with a featured speaker and a Q & A session on the topic.

The featured speaker for the Gasland screening scheduled for Sunday, March 11th will be Paul Gallay, President of Riverkeeper.

Riverkeeper is  one of the local activist groups fighting to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking–the controversial process of extracting natural gas–in New York State and the reservoirs that supply New Yorkers. (See our previous coverage.)

Other films scheduled for the March screenings are:

THE LORAX
Date Saturday March 3, 10 AM
Tickets sold for a reduced rate of $5 per ticket, first-come, first-served.
Venue Clearview Theater

BAG IT
Date Saturday, March 3, 2 PM
Venue Mamaroneck Library
Speaker Sara Goddard, a local activist on the issue from Rye, which recently became the first municipality in Westchester to ban plastic bags.

FRESH
Date Sunday, March 4, 2 PM
Venue Larchmont Village Center (next to the Larchmont Library)

NO IMPACT MAN
Date Monday, March 5, 7:30 PM
Venue Mamaroneck Town Center (Conference Room C)

EXTREME ICE
Date Saturday, March 10, 12 PM
Venue Mamaroneck Library

FLOW: FOR THE LOVE OF WATER
Date Saturday, March 10, 2 pm
Venue Mamaroneck Library

GASLAND
Date Sunday, March 11
Venue Larchmont Village Center, 2 pm
Speaker Paul Gallay, president of Riverkeeper, and the Hudson Riverkeeper

CARBON NATION
Date Monday, March 12, 7:30 pm
Venue Mamaroneck Town Center (Conference Room C)

Watch theLoop in February for information on how to get your free tickets to the festival and for more information on the featured speakers.

Last week, Graham School in Mount Vernon almost ran out of paper, says one parent.

There’s also peeling paint and an idle computer lab.

“I own a home and I’m paying my taxes and I think things should be better,”she says.

Waveline Bennett-Conroy, Mount Vernon Schools interim superintendent, says the school district is addressing the issues. “I am not going to say that we are not affected by funding, but we make sure there are no dangerous situations for our kids,” Bennett-Conroy says.

She acknowledges the problems, but says money’s not always the problem.  She says the paper  supply ran low because the Graham principal reallocated funds to buy workbooks for low-income children, and the District delivered 15 cases of paper to Graham on Wednesday.

Repair of an elevator serving a disabled child has been delayed because the school is waiting for a part from overseas. Meantime, a stair lift for the student has been installed. The computer lab is sitting idle, she says  because the use of technology has been integrated into classrooms.
And repair to building damage, some of which was caused by recent snow and rain, will start soon.

“We will not compromise our kids’ safety at all,” Bennett-Conroy says.

The parent, however, says she “is frustrated because I see a lot of things going on that trouble me.”

“I’m contemplating putting my son into a private school, which I can’t afford,” she says.

Submit your wacky local photo to our looppool on flickr, and if it’s funny, ironic, weird, or ridiculous, we’ll post it at the end of the day.

Loop reader Jenny snapped this at a Mamaroneck restaurant. A photo in the window features the breakfast special. No extra charge for the enormous insect.

Have a pet you love or just know a great one? Submit a photo and we’ll feature it in “Pet Project”

Sandy is a 10 year old soft coated wheaton terrier living in Larchmont. Her owner, Heidi, says, “Sandy, my love, my muse! She’ll do (almost) anything for a little love and attention”

She also says that in these shots Sandy reminds her of some of the editors she worked with at Vogue.

Over at the Larchmont Historical Society Archives, historian Lynne Crowley keeps this photo (among many thousands, a significant number now available digitally) of the Boston Post Road around the 1940′s, judging by the cars.

Imagine her surprise when one day recently, a gentleman walked into her office in the Mamaroneck Town Center, with the sign that’s in the photo.

“This has to be it,” says Crowley. “Or one exactly like it.” She plans to have it mounted on the wall, but she’ll need help. It feels like it weighs a ton.

The original photo at top is by Herb Roth, who was a local resident and a well-known cartoonist. He worked for the New York World and the New York Herald Tribune, but also published his cartoons and illustrations independently.

Need just the right tahini? Marinated olives? Armenian spices? Yaranush Mediterranean Foods in White Plains has the best selection and quality of Mideast spices, dried fruits, nuts, baklava, grains, beans and ready to eat foods this side of Yerevan.

Have a look at what we made after shopping there, below:

At the White Plains end of Central Avenue and worth the trip.

Yaranush 322 Central Avenue, White Plains, NY 914.682.8449. yaranush.com

 $500 reward.

Victor Cino is understandably despondent. Billie, a sweet, small, black five-year-old cat with green and yellow eyes, disappeared January 9 from  752 Forest Avenue in Larchmont. She was later spotted on nearby Holly Place.

Victor says he fostered the cat at his home in Manhattan when the owner died, then he found  a family to adopt her in Larchmont. But within a day, Billie was gone. The family’s other cat may have scared her away.

If you see Billie, please call Jason at Ace Trapping (they’ll trap her humanely) at 914. 939.3030.

She is all black, and weighs about 8 lbs.

-Sponsored post

One of Josel's recent local clients

Leslie Josel of Larchmont has seen it all in her job bringing order out of a peculiar kind of chaos –people who just can’t throw anything away. And that’s what she named her business, Order Out of Chaos.

On Saturday, Leslie is featured on “Stuffed: Food Hoarders,” an episode of the Cooking Channel where she helps out a Mount Vernon family so overwhelmed with the demands of an autistic child that their kitchen, and their lives, are out of control. (click here. You have to see those photos.)

She tackles the family’s kitchen and dining room, “which included hundreds of canned goods, many with old expiration dates, cookware and kitchen paraphernalia piled high to the ceiling leaving those areas virtually unusable.”

And I thought my house was a mess.

January 29th at 8:00 pm : DIRECTV, DISH Network,Verizon FiOs

photo- Leslie Josel

Fifteen of those charged with crimes ranging from disorderly conduct to assault in the Rye Playland riot last summer had their cases dropped yesterday (Tuesday). A Rye Town Court judge told the defendants, however, that they must stay out of trouble for two months.

Tempers flared when those wearing Hijabs, the traditional head-covering for Muslim women, were refused entry on August 30. The case inspired debate about whether the State Police over-reacted.

As the New York Times reports, all of the female defendants wore headscarves to Court.

The story on Gothamist.

photo: Heidi Silverstein

As Rye preps for implementing its plastic bag ban, neighboring communities are considering following suit.

Although there are no formal proposals yet, leaders of the Town of Mamaroneck and the Villages of Mamaroneck and Larchmont say they, too, will consider banning single-use disposable plastic bags, like the kind we use in supermarkets.

The bags, only a fraction of which is recycled, are widely blamed for littering streets, clogging waterways and harming marine life.

But there are other benefits to banning the bags, too.

“By reducing the amount of trash, there’s the environmental benefit,” says Mamaroneck Town Administrator Stephen Altieri. “And if we can reduce our solid waste cost, there is a dual benefit.”

In approving the law in December, Rye became the first municipality in Westchester, and one of just a handful around the country, to have  all-out bans on the books. The law, under which retailers who use plastic bags will be fined $150, will take effect in June.

Rye’s ban is one of the more radical approaches to the problem. In Washington, D.C., for example, shoppers are charged 5 cents for every bag they get from retailers.

– Photos: Jacqueline Silberbush