NEW ROCHELLE– The Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon is returning for its 5th consecutive year on October 14th, to be run on the Colonial Greenway. Registration is now open. The Greenway, dedicated in 2008, is a massive figure-8 with over 20 miles of trails, incorporating many Westchester communities that nestle Long Island Sound.

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Information:

Mamaroneck

New Rochelle

Rye

Rye Brook

Rye Neck

Scarsdale

White Plains

for those not listed above:

Ardsley | Bedford | Briarcliff Manor | Bronxville | Byram Hills | Chappaqua | Croton-Harmon | Dobbs Ferry | Eastchester | Edgemont | Elmsford | Greenburgh 7 | Harrison | Hastings | Hendrick Hudson | Irvington | Katonah-Lewisboro | Lakeland | Mount Pleasant | Mount Vernon |  North Salem | Ossining | Peekskill | Pelham | Pleasantville | Pocantico Hills | Port Chester | Somers | Tarrytowns | Tuckahoe | Valhalla |  Yorktown |

A selection of Friday- Sunday events from theLoop Events Calendar:

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No, we can’t believe it either. Not that we have anything against some racy fiction, but when it’s badly written, boring and on the New York Times Best Seller List?

The Fifty Shades of Grey phenom continues.  And if you’re really obsessed, you can meet the author in Eastchester.  E.L. James, author of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy, will be at the Willow Ridge Country Club on May 11. The event promises lunch, wines, dessert and Q and A.

James was named by Time Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2012.

She will be signing her book from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets to the event cost $85 and can be purchased at www.divamoms.com.

Several Killed as Minivan Plunges Near the Bronx Zoo
Seven people were killed after a vehicle went over the Bronx River Parkway on Sunday afternoon.[NY Times]

150 stroll to fight child abuse at Playland
Past a roller coaster, slides and other rides, scores of people walked around Playland Amusement Park on Sunday to raise money for child-abuse prevention services. [LoHud]

Yonkers blaze rages for hours, displaces at least 13, kills pets
A fire that raged at a multifamily dwelling for more than three hours Sunday displaced at least 13 residents and killed several pets. Two firefighters responding to the blaze at 76 Crotty Ave. [LoHud]

Westchester Dining | Eastchester: A Review of Burrata, in Eastchester
Since it is the name of a fresh, creamy cow’s milk cheese currently in vogue, Burrata seemed like a perfect name for a wood-fired pizzeria. [NY Times]

Photo: Jacqueline Silberbush

Several of the Westchester.gov Web sites run by the County seem to be back up–at least sporadically– after being hacked Friday.

The hacker’s message poked fun at the county’s computer security, saying “Security is a joke! Your box owned by Mr.XHat Greets To: All Underground Hackers & Mafia Bands.”

The sites were those of Several of Westchester County’s offices, including those for the district attorney, the county clerk and the Board of Legislators.

Did this shutdown affect you? Did it get in the way of your doing business with the County, finding directions, or anything else? Please let us know below.

Joe Carvin

Strap yourself in, folks, and try to follow this.

Joe Carvin announces today he’s running for Nita Lowey’s seat in Congress.

This is the Rye Town Supervisor that originally announced he would run for Senate against Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand.

Then on March 16, the day of the Republican convention in Rochester, he announced that he was bowing out of the race for U.S. Senator.

Wednesday, Mar. 21, Republican candidate Mark Rosen dropped out of the race and endorsed his friend Carvin.

Rosen dropped out of the race because a magistrate judge redrew the district lines, and Larchmont,  where he lives, and much of the Sound Shore, was drawn out of the district in which he intended to run. Harrison and Rye Town remain in the District, as doe Rye Brook, where Carvin lives.

The new Congressional districting  reduces New York’s congressional districts from 29 to 27, combines the southern portion of Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel’s 17th District (Mt. Vernon and Yonkers) and the southern portion of Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey’s 18th District (the Sound Shore area) to form the state’s new 16th District.

photo: Town of Rye

Last year's parade, Eastchester, and below

A few things to pass on as we round the corner towards St. Patty’s Day.

Eastchester: 

The Eastchester Irish American Social Club (EIASC) will sponsor Eastchester’s 8^th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday March 11, 2012. This year’s Grand Marshal will be Phil Denning, with Anna Phelan selected as Parade Honoree.

The 2012 parade begins at 3;00 at Immaculate Conception Church in Tuckahoe,  marching north on Route 22 to the Lake Isle Country Club. This parade will feature twelve Pipe Bands, twenty Marching Bands and over 50 marching groups, including the Police and Fire Departments and a United States Army unit.   For more information, please visit  www.eastchesterirish.org

Mamaroneck: March 18 will be the “first ever” Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day parade along Mamaroneck Avenue. Sponsors tell us, “The first annual Sound Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade will celebrate Irish heritage, featuring musicians, dancers, local schools, police, firefighters, pipe bands and representatives of the area’s Irish community.”  The Grand Marshall is Jim Killoran, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Westchester.

St. Paddy’s Pub of Westchester Contest: Our friends at WestchesterHappening want to know where you will celebrate this greenest of holidays. Go ahead and enter their contest…it looks fun.

Know any more events?

Cold turkey commute. Don’t even think about lighting up while waiting for your Metro-North train. Doing so could get you kicked off the platform, up to $50 in fines or a trip to jail.

The MTA‘s new ban on outdoor smoking starts today, following a months-long grace period the agency gave smokers to get used to the idea. The ban, which had a soft launch in November, prohibits smoking on Metro-North and Long Island Railroad outdoor platforms, as well as ticketing and boarding areas.

The ban does not apply to Metro-North stations in Connecticut.

Violators have gotten away with just warnings since November. But after several months of  leafleting, signs, announcements and electronic alerts, the MTA now expects passengers to play by the rules.

Det.Sgt. Matthew Mehlrose talks to residents about recent crime in TOM

A lot of crime prevention comes down to common sense.

It’s safer to walk in groups then alone. A home alarm that rings inside and out is a better deterrent then the quieter kinds that don’t offend the neighbors. And don’t bother hiding keys under those fake rocks and other gadgets you see in ads.

“The bad guys watch TV too,” said Mamaroneck Town Police Det. Sgt. Matthew Mehlrose.

That was the Town of Mamaroneck Police Department’s message to the 30 or so neighbors who congregated Wednesday night at the VFW on Boston Post Road for a crime prevention workshop.

Rattled by the recent rash of crimes in the area, neighbors wanted to know the best ways to stay safe.

Town leaders reassured said that the Town of Mamaroneck is indeed a safe community; it has not been affected by the recent surge in home burglaries the way neighboring Larchmont has.

In fact, the number of burglaries and robberies in Town has dropped since 2010.

But the brazen armed robbery in January of a man walking home from the Larchmont train station – possibly linked to similar crimes in Pelham and Eastchester – and multiple car break-ins on Friday, show that no one is immune.

All it takes is two to three minutes for burglars to get what they want out of a home, police said. Leaving house and car doors unlocked makes it all the easier.

As Det. Donn Emonds said, “We understand that you should be able to leave your stuff in your car and it should stay untouched.  But realistically, it doesn’t work.”

We’re still in the thick of winter, so you have about 8,000 good excuses to dig into the hearty sandwiches and seafood at Louie & Johnnie’s in Eastchester.  Then again, you’ll undoubtedly come up with just as many convincing reasons come Bathing Suit Season.

It’s that good.

Newly dressed in basic food bar style – complete with a black-and-white floor and red counter stools – the 4-month-old home of super-yummy cheese steaks and raw bar favorites is the second venture of John Greco and Michael Mannarino, owners of Louie & Johnnie’s Italian restaurant in Yonkers.

With its steak shaved paper-thin and shellfish so fresh you could just as easily be beachside, the shop already has garnered its regulars, Greco says.

“People seem to like it,” Greco says.

That’s no surprise. What isn’t there to like?

Louie & Johnnie’s Cheese Steaks & Clam Bar is located at 33 Mill Road in Eastchester. cheesesteaksclambar.com

U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, who represents most of Westchester and parts of Rockland Counties in Congress, made fast friends with a group of New Rochelle High School seniors during a classroom visit Monday, inviting them to meet again online Tuesday night during President Obama’s State of the Union address.

“I don’t want to talk at you,” Congresswoman Lowey, a Democrat who represents New York’s 18th District, said.  ”I want to have a conversation.”

Lowey’s visit to teacher Darren Gurney’s AP macroeconomics class was a precursor to the virtual Facebook and Twitter chat with students she has planned for before and after the President’s speech. Students can participate by going to Lowey’s Facebook page  or using the hashtag #LoweyChat on Twitter.

She also will meet with New Rochelle High AP government students in Washington later this week.

Lowey reiterated several times her commitment to staying non-partisan during the classroom discussion, which touched on her priorities: creating jobs, investing in education and tax relief.

She did, however, come right out and say how important she thinks it is for young people to get involved in their government as soon as they are old enough.

“It’s sad to me that in this great country of ours such a small percentage of people vote,” she said.

“Whatever you do with your life, I hope you will take some time for public service because it is very rewarding.”

Photo courtesy of Paul Costiglio

LoHud reported that Tuesday would be an interesting day in the local judicial system:

A county judge will hand down sentences in two high-profile homicide cases, while the ex-White Plains mayor will be in a nearby courtroom to answer probation violation charges, at the same time as the Tappan Zee bridge dangler will appear in Greenburgh Town Court.

Already former Eastchester police officer James Pileggi has been sentenced to three to nine years for the death of Andre Everett in 2009. Everett, a New Rochelle real estate agent was standing outside his house talking to a group of friends inside Pileggi’s car. The off duty officer was playing with his gun, a Glock 9mm, with a laser sight affixed to it. The gun discharged accidently, killing Everett.

Francisco Acevedo will be sentenced in the murders of three women in south Yonkers over a seven-year period starting in 1989. years.

Ex- White Plains Mayor Adam Bradley will appear on charges that he violated a stay-away order by calling his estranged wife, Fumiko, late last year. Bradley swears he repeatedly “pocket dialed” her by accident.

Finally, disgruntled Rockland County resident Michael Davitt will be in Greenburgh Town Court on charges related to his November publicity stunt in which he dangled mid-span from the Tappan Zee Bridge.

This video shows what was happening above ground in Eastchester Friday when a water main broke, causing water in houses as far away as Larchmont and Harrison to turn dark brown.

A 30 inch pipe that supplies water to the Town of Mamaroneck, Village of Mamaroneck and Larchmont is being repaired.  Check Westchester Joint Water Works for updates.

Shopping carts are rolling away. Cars are shaking. Hold onto your hats — and just about everything else.  The strong winds that blew into Westchester this morning, prompting a National Weather Service Wind Advisory, are expected to stick around at least through midnight.

The gusts could reach up to 50 miles per hour, according to the Weather Service, meaning travel could be hazardous.

Flight delays at area airports were already growing long by early afternoon.  Flights at La Guardia, for example, were running an hour and 40 minutes behind schedule at 1 p.m. The speed limit on area bridges, including the Tappan Zee, had reportedly been reduced.

Although the winds are expected to die down overnight, forecasters are calling for a weekend that feels like winter. The Weather Service forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 37 on Saturday and just 29 on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to bounce back a bit on Monday, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, to a high of 39.

Oppenheimer with daughter and granddaughter at last election party (photo:theLoop)

Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer (D-Mamaroneck) will not run for re-election and will retire at the end of her term after 28 years in the New York State Senate.

Oppenheimer, 77,  writes on her website the decision came because she learned she will need extensive shoulder replacement surgery:

“It had always been my plan to seek re-election in November and continue to serve the people of this district.  When considering my responsibilities as Senator, the extensive effort that will go into rehabilitation and physical therapy following my surgery, and the added work of the hard fought campaigns I always wage, it became clear to me that I could do only two of those three important tasks.”

Already there is speculation that the race for the seat, an important Democratic stronghold, will become a contest  between Assesmblyman George Latimer, a Democrat from Rye, and Bob Cohen, a Republican who lost to Oppenheimer in 2010 by about 700 votes.

Links:

• Albany Watch (from LoHud.com)
• Capitol Confidential
• City Room
• State of Politics
• The Caucus (NYT)
• The Daily Politics
• The Empire Page
• The Politicker

More coming

In honor of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Volunteer Center of United Way has organized a day of service projects at the organizations below on January 14. Interested? sign up here! Or call 914-948-4452 for more information.

Volunteers can choose from 29 service projects at Academic Pathways (New Rochelle), Charles Brieant Community Center (Ossining), Children’s Creative Response to Conflict (Nyack), Family Services of Westchester (Yonkers), Ferncliff Manor(Yonkers),  FSW Sharing Shelf (Port Chester), Green Chimneys (Carmel), Groundwork Hudson Valley (Hastings), Institute of Applied Human Dynamics (Tarrytown), Mount Vernon YMCA, My Sister’s Place (Yonkers), Nepperhan Community Center (Yonkers), New Rochelle Public Library, Richmond Community Services (Yonkers), Rockland Country Day School (Valley Cottage) , Somers Manor, Therapeutic Equestrian Center (Cold Spring), Wartburg Adult Center (Mount Vernon), White Plains Youth Bureau, White Plains YMCA, White Plains Public Library, WJCS Kid’s Kloset (White Plains), and Yonkers Public Library – Will Branch.

photo: flickr

District 10 incumbent legislator Sheila Marcotte has won her first full term on the County Board of Legislators close to a month after the election.  In an email Wednesday Nov. 30, she said, “it is closer to 10,000 – as of now I have a 45 vote lead – this is after the 3% audit as well as the re-canvass.”.

The Board of Elections website shows 4363 voted for Marcotte and 4324 for John Fitzpatrick.

Her district includes parts of New Rochelle, Tuckahoe and Eastchester.

Marcotte won a special election in June 2010 after former County Legislator Vito Pinto became head of two county committees, including the Veterans Service Agency .

Of 531 Members of Congress, including all U.S. Senators and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Nita M. Lowey (D-NY)  ranks #20 in personal wealth, with an average net worth of  $41,210,018 , according to data prepared by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Lowey represents New York’s 18th District, which includes Lower Westchester and part of Rockland Counties.

The New York Daily News recently reported Lowey has the “highest privately funded travel tab of any New York rep.”

Times are good for the 12 term Congresswoman.

Lowey’s husband, Stephen, is a partner in a White Plains law firm.

photo: US House of Representatives

Now’s the season when we practice strange rituals. No, not decorating our bushes with spider webs and skeletons. I’m referring to raking and blowing leaves onto the street, to be carted away by municipal workers. It’s puzzling why we remove a free source of nutrients for the soil, pay workers (through taxes) to cart them away, only to buy it back in the form of compost from landscapers.

Now a group of Bedford environmentalists and Westchester master gardeners are on a campaign to stop this ritual, by educating the public on the benefits of fallen leaves.  The campaign, called “Leave Leaves Alone“, implores homeowners and landscapers to simply mow over the fallen leaves with a regular or mulching mower (a curved blade that can be fitted onto a regular mower). Mowing over a thick coat of leaves a couple of times grinds the leaves so small that they sink between the grass blades, improving soil texture and feeding the micro-organisms that are so important to soil health.

Ground-up leaves are such an excellent organic fertilizer for your lawn and garden beds, there’s no need to purchase expensive fertilizer treatments. With a few million years of evolution under its belt, nature has recycling nutrients down to a science. Healthy soil, healthy grass. In the process, we create less pollution and save tax dollars on fuel and manpower.  Click here if you still need more convincing.

An Abundance of Leaves

If you have a lot of trees, mulching them into the lawn cannot make them all disappear. I rake extra leaves into my garden beds. They protect my plants over the winter, modulate soil temperature and prevent soil erosion. By next fall, all the leaves have been consumed by the worms and other soil critters into dark, rich compost. If you don’t like the natural “forest floor” look, you can cover the whole bed in winter with a layer of shredded mulch, for a cleaner style. 

Now is the time to have a talk with your gardener. They may balk at this practice, since most only know the outdated way to clear leaves. Be firm. It may take a few mentions to the head boss before your lawn crew gets the message that you want to mulch the leaves into your lawn, and put the extra leaves in your beds. Your soil will thank you by growing thicker, healthier  shrubs and grass without chemicals.

Notify your landscape company about these upcoming demo/training session:
Thursday, November 3, 7:30 pm at Eastchester Town Hall

To reserve a spot or for more info contact Anne Jaffe Holmes 914-813-1251, ajaffeholmes@greenburghnaturecenter.org

For helpful tips and tricks on leaf mulching and composting, click here.
Become their Facebook fan here: www.facebook.com/leaveleavesalone

photo: flickr

Catherine Wachs is The Lazy Gardener, a Larchmont-based landscape designer.

For those of us who can’t wait for Spring (uh…everyone…?), we’ve compiled a garden checklist to help combat winter blues, indoors and out.

Plan ahead
Now’s a great time to assess your garden. Perhaps you want to add some plantings or move things around. Some people keep a notebook or take photos during the growing season. These are really helpful when staring out at your snowy white canvas.

• Order seed starting kits, vegetable and flower seeds from catalogs, if you like starting from scratch.
• Start growing seeds. Some helpful tips here.
• Peruse magazines for gardens that you like, See how you can incorporate some of the ideas into your own property.

Heavy snow can break the branches of evergreens. Give plants a dusting off after a heavy snowfall.

Maintenance
You may be tiring of the snow cover that’s been hanging around since Christmas, but the snow is actually a protective, frosty blanket, insulating the plants below. During winter’s home stretch, we may get days that swing between warm(ish) and arctic. That will be the time to check on your newer plantings, making sure the warming and re-freezing has not heaved them above the soil line. If you see that’s starting to happen, try to push them back in and cover root zone with extra mulch.

• Prune away storm-damaged branches, which can tear the bark off shrubs and trees.
• After a heavy snow, take a broom and brush off the shrubs and tree branches that are bent under the snow’s weight.
• Take cuttings of forsythia, pussy willows, cherries for forcing indoors. Late February, early March is the time to prune most shrubs and trees, before they start to leaf out.

Indoors
Sun-loving houseplants are probably looking a little sad right now. Shorter days=sadder plants (and people!). Make sure they are in a southern-facing window.

• Houseplants grow more slowly during winter, so increase the time between waterings. The single biggest killer of houseplants is overwatering.
• Clean the large, smooth-leaved houseplants with a damp, soft cloth. Or give them a shower. They are probably a bit dusty by now, which interferes with photosynthesis.
• Inspect for insect pests. Browning leaves are a good indication you have spider mites. Look for fine spider webbing between the leaves or between the stem and leaves. The mites are easily killed by spraying them with a homemade soap solution. Simply add a teaspoon of dish liquid detergent to a 12 or 16 ounce spray bottle filled with water. Shake, then spray. The soap smothers their soft bodies. You may have to apply two or three times, whenever you see the webbing again.
• It’s a good time to repot plants, especially if it’s been more than a few years since the last transplating.  Plants do best in terra-cotta pots because the clay is porous, which allows for water and air exchange. If your old clay pots have a white, powdery mineral deposit on the outside, you can clean them by soaking the pots overnight in a solution of 1 gallon of water, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup bleach. Or, remove as much as you can with a wire brush and then apply linseed oil. This will make the mineral deposits invisible.
• Go over your gardening contracts carefully. Many companies apply pesticides and herbicides. They are required to supply you with a materials data safety sheet for each product they apply. One note from this organic gardener: data sheets only cover the labeled, “active” ingredients. Ninety percent of most products are “inert” ingredients. The composition of inert ingredients are considered “proprietary information” and do not have to be disclosed. Many of these “inerts” are more dangerous than the labeled ingredients. Of course, you can always hire a landscape company that practices organic controls. Keeping your property in a natural balance is the best way to ensure a healthy environment.

Catherine Wachs is a Larchmont-based landscape designer. Her company, The Lazy Gardener, creates low-maintenance, high-style designs for residential and commercial properties.