See more photos in Photo Gallery
March 5, 2010
by Gennaro Faiella, as told to Christine Yeres

Editor’s note: In order to give the community a complete picture of this past weekend’s storm, its impact on New Castle and the official responses to it, NewCastleNOW.org asked Town Administrator Gennaro Faiella to share his “storm story” with our readers.

March 5, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Here’s the kind of sticky situation that representatives at every level of government face: What to fund, and where to find the money.  Newly-elected State Assemblyman Robert Castelli, who represents New Castle, is holding a press conference and rally today at 11:00 a.m. at John Jay Homestead in Katonah, home of one of the nation’s founding fathers and the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. His purpose: To save this historic site from Governor Paterson’s budget axe.

See slideshows of the fair in Read more and Photo Gallery

March 5, 2010 UPDATED with photos
by Margaret Skriloff

The Chappaqua Schools Green Fair, a collaborative effort of students and faculty from the Chappaqua School District and members of the Chappaqua PTA, will be held on Saturday, March 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Seven Bridges Middle School. The cost for the fair is $5 per student or $10 per family, if parents and children come together. The Green Fair will be a fun and educational event to raise awareness about pressing environmental issues and to educate the community about sustainable living.

See photos of Saturday’s program and a YouTube of Low’s methods in “Read more”
March 5, 2010, updated Monday, March 8
by Miriam Lang Budin

Editor’s Note: Although Low depicted himself as more comfortable expressing himself through his paintings than with words, he treated his audience last Saturday to a great story, his own story. A child of Chinese immigrants who observed the bustling life of the Bronx as an outsider, through the window of his parents’ hand laundry shop in the Bronx, he began drawing and painting at the age of five, and made it his life’s work.  Kids and adults had a chance to watch Low compose and refine a drawing on the spot, and to try out his Wacom tablet themselves. See inside for photos.

March 5, 2010
by Z

This is a national initiative aimed at teens, librarians, educators, parents, and other concerned adults to encourage teens to take advantage of libraries’ non-print resources.

Also this month:
• “Yikes! The History of Movie Stunts”
•  College Prep and Search Programs
•  Mother-Daughter Book Discussions

March 5, 2010
by Susie Pender

The fourth installment of StoryWalk, presented by the New Castle Recreation and Parks in partnership with the Chappaqua Library, begins today in downtown Chappaqua. The walk features the popular children’s book, “Granite,” a story about an Alaska sled dog written by Susan Butcher, a four-time winner of the 1000-mile Iditarod dog sled race, and her husband, David Monson, and illustrated by Sarah Douglas.

March 5, 2010

The Chappaqua Library and the Chappaqua PTA Special Education Committee have collaborated to bring local author Esta Rapoport to speak at the Seven Bridges Auditorium next Wednesday, March 10, about her field work and research on children with ADHD.  In her book, ADHD and Social Skills: A Step-by-Step Guide for Teachers and Parents, Rapoport offers both teachers and parents practical advice for dealing with the complexities of these kids’ problems.  The evening begins with a 7:00 p.m. reception, Rapoport’s talk at 7:30 p.m. with time for question-and-answer following.

March 5, 2010
by Chappaqua Fire Department Chief Russell Maitland 

The Chappaqua Fire Department responded to 51 storm-related emergency calls beginning Thursday, February 25, at 6:00 p.m. until Monday, March 1, at 6:00 p.m. These calls ran the gamut from wires down, trees down, trees and wires down together, trees on houses with structural damage, carbon monoxide incidents, a natural gas leak, auto accidents, smoke conditions and automatic fire alarms caused by power failures.

“Unbelievably, the driver made it out through his sunroof with a bloody nose.”
Photos by Chip Fowler, of DPW; see more in Photo Gallery
March 5, 2010

Between 11:00 a.m. Thursday, February 25, and midnight Tuesday/Wednesday, the New Castle Police Department received 58 calls for “public health and safety,” downed trees, wires, or both— 38 “buglar alarms,” 23 “vehicle breakdowns,” 14 “fire” calls, eight for “panic alarm,” seven “medical,” and six for “vehicle/property damage.”