This edition of CrotonBlog.com's "To-go" edition gives you all full articles and comments from the past 7 days. Get the last 5 days or 3 days.
~ The following were originally published on May 14, 2008 ~
On Mayor Schmidt's Deplorable Conduct
To the editor:
During the Croton-on-Hudson Village Board meeting on Monday, May 5th, 2008, I read the following statement into the record.
We, the Democratic Committee of the Village of Croton, deplore Mayor Schmidt’s unwarranted verbal abuse of Kevin Davis during citizen participation at the April 21, 2008, Village Board meeting and his inappropriate threat to deny speaking in the citizen participation phase of board meetings to anyone posting on the Croton Blog.
There can be no justification in a democracy, at the Village or any level, for any public officials to propose to silence or bar constitutionally protected speech and press commentary just because they don’t like it. Inclusion of citizen participation at Board meetings is the most visible and direct means to maintain democracy in Village government between yearly elections. It is hugely important both symbolically, as the portrait above the mayor’s chair reminds us, and practically as a means of keeping the Board in touch with the concerns of the Village.
We call upon the Mayor to apologize publicly for his mistreatment of Kevin Davis and to not repeat such behavior in the future. Further, we call upon the Village Board to disavow the Mayor’s statement barring some citizens from speaking during citizen participation at Board meetings and to enact a resolution reaffirming that no Village resident may be barred from speaking during citizen participation at Board meetings.
Editor’s Note: The writer is the Chairman of the Croton Democratic Committee
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 13, 2008 ~
Riverlovers Shadfest Hits Croton Shores on May 18
Alosa sapidissima (American shad)
Celebrate spring and the return of the shad to their Hudson River home with music, food, crafts, children’s entertainment, boating demonstrations and much more during the 18th annual Riverlovers Shadfest, Sunday, May 18, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson.
The festival marks the traditional return of the shad to spawn in the river between Kingston and Albany. Sponsored by Westchester County Parks and Riverlovers Inc., the Shadfest is presented in cooperation with the Hudson River Foundation, the Beacon Sloop Club, and Ferry Sloops Inc.
The festival features music, food, including fresh shad dinners, along with hamburgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob, and tasty vegetarian chili. There will also be environmental exhibits, information booths, craft vendors, Native-American craft demonstrations and a variety of children’s entertainment.
Hudson River Foundation educator Chrisopher Letts will cook shad over hot coals and will serve free samples. At 2 p.m. Hudson River fisherman and educator Tom Lake will discuss the shad’s life cycle and other Hudson River lore.
Musical entertainment for the day begins with Gillen and Turk, followed by the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus at 1:30 p.m., a local group founded by music legend Pete Seeger and dedicated to spreading an environmental message takes the stage. At 3:30 p.m., Lightning Screamed from Gertrude, will close the festival as they bring to life the rock of the ’60s and ’70s.
At 2:30 p.m., everyone can enjoy the antics of the larger-than-life puppets of the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater, in an all-new performance. The troupe combines the symbolic visual language of mask and puppet theater with a musical menagerie of horns, bells, drums, shells, flutes and whistles.
Children can also learn more about the natural world by playing games presented by the Beczak Environmental Center. Kids can try their hand at flying a kite by the river, or watch a canoe and kayak demonstration.
For boat lovers, a fleet of 25-foot Whitehall gigs from “Floating the Apple” will be on display. The gig is a boat design that dates back to the 1700s.
Admission to Shadfest, which will be held rain or shine, is free. Parking is $4 with a County Park Pass and $8 without the pass.
Vendors are welcome and may call Riverlovers at 914-432-3112 or visit their website for more information. For general information on the event, call the Westchester County Parks Department at 914-864-7000 or visit their website.
.....
Heartbroken Over Closing of Wondrous Things
To the editor:
I am heartbroken! I just learned that Wondrous Things will be closing its Croton store at the end of June. I hope it’s because of the bad economy generally and that it has nothing to do with Croton customers—or lack thereof.
For years we’ve loved Wondrous Things and the impeccable taste displayed by both Donald and Scott in their choices of unique and unusual gifts. It’s been a key stop for birthday, wedding and gifts of all kinds. The service has always been extraordinary and the staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They are always willing, if they don’t have exactly what one is looking for, to go the extra mile to help you find it. A truly treasured and appreciated shop that will be missed terribly!
This is truly a sad day for Croton. Thankfully, we can still go to their Briarcliff location but it won’t be the same as our “uptown special place.”
— Georgianna Grant
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 12, 2008 ~
On Civility and Censorship: An Essay and a Challenge
From time to time, Crotonblog has been attacked by commentators and by a competing chatroom on the grounds that there should be more “civility” in the content of its editorials, contributions and reader comments. Readers only have to look at the content of other media—partisan TV commentators and stations, partisan columnists and newspapers, and, most of all, the ultra-partisan exchanges between competing politicians—to know that civility is a scarce commodity everywhere in the United States, especially in the winner-take-all world of politics.
Mark Twain is reputed to have made the sage observation that “everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Crotonblog would paraphrase this to, “A few critics complain about a lack of civility on Crotonblog—but nobody seems to be able to define what they mean by civility.” Should Crotonblog be more civil than radio, TV, newspapers and magazines, the Internet, and political discourse? Compared to the Fox TV news channel or the New York Post, we are eminently civil, despite the fact that it is difficult to view kindly those who judge a person’s patriotism on the basis of his willingness to wear a flag pin. Their narrow-minded attitude would make Nikita Khrushev one of the most patriotic leaders of all time. It was he who pioneered the whole flag-pin nonsense.
Where We Stand
First, let us state Crotonblog’s position: We do not censor speech, however derogatory, mean-spirited, or offending it may be. We do attempt to intercept statements that could be libelous, but since the targets of criticism or satire on Crotonblog have been public officials or public figures, and because satire cannot be libelous, we have seen almost nothing that has had to be excluded. We can exert no initial control over comments made through the TypeKey commenting authentication service.
Having encouraged readers to speak their minds freely without let or hindrance, we are made uncomfortable by any suggestion that we should pass judgment on what others may say or write, or the manner in which it is expressed. Regrettably, we have been largely unsuccessful in our campaign to get commentators to restrict their comments to the subject of an article or letter to the editor, and to refrain from attacking one another.
It is our considered feeling that we need open dialogue in this country more than ever, especially after the repeated assaults on freedom of speech by the present administration under the guise of the global war on terrorism. Moreover, we see no advantage to attempting to define what can be said under arbitrary rules for so-called civility when no such rules govern the public discourse being carried on everywhere around us. Wait till you see the excesses of the coming electoral campaign.
A nation in which cartoonists can portray the president with the features of a chimpanzee has nothing to fear from a blog that occasionally pokes fun at baldheads or the morbidly obese, the butt of jokes since time immemorial. Above all else, we refuse to ban the opinions of anyone, self-identified or anonymous, who challenges the actions of anyone in the party in power, local, county, state or federal, merely because those who are the subjects of the critical comment may not like the temper or the tone of what is being said.
And who will be the final arbiter of what can and cannot be said? An old saying has it that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. The French probably have a saying that one man’s viande is another man’s poisson. And, as the classicists say, “One man’s Mede is another man’s Persian.” It all boils down to one conclusion: We have neither the obligation nor the desire to tell another human being what they can or cannot think or say. If that makes us Libertarians by default, so be it.
Laying the “Small Village” Fallacy to Rest
The principle argument by those objecting to Crotonblog’s policy of refusing to censor content and style goes like this: “Croton is a small village, and therefore we have an obligation to be more friendly toward one another because Crotonblog’s readers are all close neighbors.” Let us now demolish that fallacy once and for all. Nothing illustrates just how out of touch the complainers are than Crotonblog’s actual readership statistics.
For the 30-day period from April 10 to May 10 of this year, Crotonblog experienced 8,975 visits. In that period there were only three states in the U.S. in which no one logged onto Crotonblog. These were Wyoming and North and South Dakota. But, during that same period, 281 visits originated in New Jersey, 168 in Washington, DC, 127 in California, 120 in Florida, 87 in Pennsylvania, 74 in Virginia, 67 in Connecticut, 56 in both Massachusetts and Texas, to name the rest of the top ten states after New York. Crotonblog also has a wide overseas readership. The following is a tabulation of visits from countries other than the United States: Canada, 64; United Kingdom, 46; Australia, 40; India, 18; Spain, 16; France, 13; Germany, 12; Ireland, 6. So much for the notion that “we’re all just a few neighbors in a small village gossiping over the back fence.” Like it or not, Crotonblog’s readership lives in the global village.
To those who are unhappy with our position on censorship, we say, “Wake up and smell the latte.” We suspect that the complainers are probably of a generation considerably older than Crotonblog’s staff, and thus their attitudes reflect the biases, the complacency and the conservatism of an age group that grew up listening to the radio or watching Sid Caesar and Milton Berle in the early days of TV. Their problem may be that they are not ready to adapt to a fast-moving technology in which the owner of a stolen laptop can photograph the thief and turn the photo over to the police, as happened recently in White Plains.
We would also remind critics and readers alike that Crotonblog is a private enterprise, owing nothing to the public, which grants it no franchise. It is therefore affected with no public interest. It is emphatically the property of its owners, who created it and make it available to the public at no charge and with no obligation on the part of the public to read it.
What Is This Thing Called Civility?
Let us now consider how to define civility. Perhaps we can find clues to civility in other cultures. For example, one might think that Britain is home to one of the most civil societies on this planet. The British stand patiently in orderly lines while waiting for a bus. Yet one only has to read British newspapers to see the prying, rowdy, salacious free-for-all that is the British press.
The French, too, are noted for their politeness, so much so that their word for it, politesse, has worked its way into the English language. The French language itself is full of s’il vous plaits, je vous en pries and pardons. It’s a different world, however, once they get behind the wheel of an automobile. When a fender-bender occurs, there is much insulting name-calling, arm waving and gesticulating with obscene finger gestures—but physical contact is never made and a blow is never struck. In that sense, one might say that the whole post-accident encounter is conducted with civility.
Then there is Japanese society, another contender for the civility title. So much bowing takes place throughout Japan in the course of an ordinary day that the expression “Oh, my aching back” must surely have originated there. The idea of touching another person is anathema in Japan, where even the social gesture of shaking hands is frowned upon. Yet one does not board a Tokyo subway train by stepping into it; one is literally pushed on board by white-gloved uniformed platform guards whose instructions are to unceremoniously cram as many as possible on each train. Groping of female passengers has become so common that authorities have added female-only subway cars.
Japanese civility (or the lack thereof) was memorialized in a 1938 poem entitled “The Japanese.” By then, the Japanese had already invaded and annexed Manchuria and had just completed the destruction of Nanking, the Chinese capital, where hundreds of thousands were brutally raped and murdered. Here’s what American poet Ogden Nash had to say about Japanese civility:
He always says, “Excuse it, please.”
He climbs into his neighbor’s garden,
And smiles, and says, “I beg your pardon.”
He bows and grins a friendly grin,
And calls his hungry family in.
He grins, and bows a friendly bow,
“So sorry, this my garden now.”
Some Definitions
What do critics mean when they call for more civility? Let’s look at some definitions of the word. “The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language” defines it as: (1) courteous behavior, politeness. (2) a courteous act or utterance. Not too much help there. How can one courteously say that Treasurer Abe Zambrano, now bucking for Village Manager after only four years as Village Treasurer, was stupid and unprofessional for sending out phony water bills?
Let’s look at what the thesaurus offers as synonyms for civility: (1) a courteous act or courteous acts that contribute to smoothness and ease in dealings and social relationships, amenity (used in plural), courtesy, pleasantry, politeness, propriety (used in plural). (2) well-mannered behavior toward others: courteousness, courtesy, genteelness, gentility, mannerliness, politeness, politesse. Still not much guidance there if you’re saying that trustee candidate Joe Streany was ethically challenged, ignorant of anti-discrimination laws and no friend of the environment.
Let’s look at the adjective courteous that keeps popping up: (1) full of polite concern for the well being of others: attentive, considerate, gallant, polite, solicitous, thoughtful. (2) characterized by good manners: civil, genteel, mannerly, polite, well-bred, well-mannered. We thought we were being well mannered when we pointed out that Joann Minett’s sole qualification to be a trustee was her semimonthly accusatory rant before the village board.
And now, let’s consider the noun courtesy: (1a) polite behavior. (1b) a polite gesture or remark. (2a) consent or agreement in spite of fact, indulgence: They call this pond a lake by courtesy only. (2b) willingness or generosity in providing something needed: free advertising through the courtesy of the local newspaper. And then there’s courtesy, the adjective: (1) given or done as a polite gesture: paid a courtesy visit to the new neighbors. (2) free of charge: courtesy tickets for the reporters. Please forgive us for saying so, but spending millions to raise the level of the parking lot makes as much sense as trying to raise the H.M.S. Titanic from its grave on the bed of the North Atlantic.
Finally, here’s what the thesaurus offers as synonyms for courtesy: (1) a courteous act or acts that contribute to smoothness and ease in dealings and social relationships, amenity (used in plural), civility, pleasantry, politeness, propriety (used in plural). (2) an act requiring special generosity: beau geste, compliment, favor. (3) well-mannered behavior toward others: civility, courteousness, genteelness, gentility, mannerliness, politeness, politesse. May we be excused for saying so, but we still think injecting chemical additives into Croton’s award-winning water supply is a dumb idea when the proper remedy would be to replace the aging pipes.
We have purposely taken this ramble through dictionary and thesaurus only to show the wide range of tepid meanings encompassed by the word civility and its equivalents. We now issue a challenge to unhappy readers and particularly to our permanently disgruntled critics who sound off so vociferously about Crotonblog on the chatroom of The North County News. Some NCN critics bandy about wholly inappropriate phrases like “You can’t shout ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater.”
A Challenge
So, we ask our critics so willing to cast the first stone, especially those who have been so vocally and uncivilly critical of us on the NCN chatroom, to answer this question: Which of the above definitions are they demanding we adopt as a standard when they take Crotonblog and its contributors and commentators to task for lack of civility? Here’s their chance to tell us what their idea of civility is—but please stop with the delusory “we live in a tightly knit small village” argument. In light of our broad circulation to every continent on this planet, it just isn’t so.
Responders can communicate their responses to us as a letter to the editor at Crotonblog.com, or as a comment sent through TypeKey. They can use their own names or don the cloak of anonymity, a garment we encourage readers to adopt to prevent identity theft.
As the parson says at the beginning of the marriage ceremony to any in the assemblage who might know of a reason why the marriage should not take place, “Speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
- On Monday, May 12, 2008 at 3:04 PM, "sdavidson" wrote:
I like Crotonblog, so please consider this constructive criticism. I don’t feel like coming up with a succinct and all encompassing definition of civility - most people simply know it when they see it. Making cracks about a political opponents weight, etc. is not civil. It is ok to be negative when there is something negative that people really need to know about, as was the case with Streany. But negativity out of sheer spite is not civil. Calling Abe Zambrano stupid is not civil. You can say that he did something stupid, but to imply that he himself is stupid is uncivil, and indeed stupid. This should be intuitive.
Also, you sound ridiculous when you refer to yourself as “we.” If this site is managed by more than one or two people you should correct the misconception held by many of your readers.
- On Monday, May 12, 2008 at 5:12 PM, "Benedict" wrote:
One of the finest political minds of our day; Babs Streisand herself once said “Being a jerk means never having to say your sorry” (well something like that) You don’t need to defend yourself or pretend to be more than one person. Hold your head up behind your computer monitor and keep on lashing out at your fellow villagers in a blindly partisan but fully anonymous fashion. The name of your blog clearly implies that articles posted here are not the views of an entire village but rather that of one well meaning citizen. To quote the late, great Lionel Hutz, “I don’t use the word hero very often, but you sir are the greatest american hero!!”
- On Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 11:39 PM, "Wayne Stevenson" wrote:
I don’t read the NCN, although I find it ironic that the only reason I know it exists is that Crotonblog is constantly flogging it. And I have to say I don’t really give a crap what people are saying over there.
But I do care about what is said on Crotonblog. And that’s why I think it’s OK to talk about concepts like “civility,” although the editor(s) exhaustive 2-page attempt at defining it was pretty much unreadable.
The suggestion (or the hope of) some sort of civility, politeness, courtesy, or just plain neighborliness on the part of Crotonblog’s posters really seems to raise the hackles of the Crotonblog “editor(s).” Seeming to enjoy the drama and tension of imagined enemies, Crotonblog will whip out scary terms like “censorship,” and insist that it’s wise to “don the cloak of anonymity.” Crotonblog indeed has no need or responsibility to censor posters’ comments. Rather, it’s the posters themselves that should display better manners! I’m not some old fuddy-duddy, I’d just like to read interesting and important issues about Croton without having to wade through the personal insults and vitriol that is spewed by some of the posters on Crotonblog.
The anonymity that Crotonblog so tirelessly promotes serves primarily to eliminate the poster’s accountability for his comments, allowing him to lob insults and innuendos with impunity. This fosters an environment of cowardly bullies who can talk all the smack they want, and then ride the train with the guy the next day (or wave to him on the block) as if it never happened. To say things on Crotonblog that you would be afraid to say to someone in person or in public implies that what you are saying is either false, or you’re too cowardly to stand behind your convictions.
Crotonblog loves to trumpet his/their theory that posting on a blog with one’s real name will result in identity theft. This is ridiculous. Everyone’s name and address are part of the public record and are easily available to anyone who knows where to look. I find it ludicrous to imply that I.D. thieves are trolling Crotonblog to find a name to steal when there are millions more that are easier to find (ever hear of the phone book? Those names come complete with addresses, too!). This, combined with Crotonblog’s assertion that “Windows will be broken, houses will be egged, cars will be “keyed,” and tires will be slashed,” is nothing but a Bush administration-style scare tactic. Who would suspect that Crotonblog, the shrill, blindly partisan hater of all things Republican, would resort to the tactics of the Bush administration?
One more thing about the NCN… If you don’t like its message, you can do the equivalent of depositing it in the nearest wastebasket—that is to say, log off. If you are unhappy with it and receive it automatically, please notify them and I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to remove your name from their subscription list.
- On Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 10:12 AM, "oldtimer" wrote:
For some strange reason, readers seem fixated on whether Crotonblog is the product of one or several editors. I don’t give a flying fig about how many persons edit this lively blog. For all I know, a reincarnated Owen McGiveney or a half-dozen Martians from Outer Space could be producing it. The important quality about Crotonblog is that it speaks its mind on local and national topics without mincing words. And, as the foregoing essay on civility says, there is no obligation on anyone’s part to read it.
The tiny suburban village of Croton has set itself up with the top-heavy bureaucratic structure of a mid-sized city—and then worries why taxes are so ridiculously high, and unhappy factions are at each others’ throats jockeying for power. In its willingness to call a spade a spade, Crotonblog merely reflects the mean-spirited dichotomy of Croton as it is, not the aura of sweetness and light some think it should exude. If you want a true friend in Croton, get a dog.
- On Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 10:16 AM, "oldtimer" wrote:
On rereading what I wrote, I see I made reference to an obscure vaudeville performer that young whippersnappers will not be familiar with. For those who don’t recognize the name, British-born Owen McGiveney was a quick-change artist famous in vaudeville for an act in which he played male and female roles in short dramatic sketches, such as Dickens’s Oliver Twist. McGiveney would exit stage left and run across the stage behind the backdrop, where an assistant stood holding a one-piece costume. Thrusting his arms through the sleeves while the assistant ran beside him applying make-up and adjusting a few ties, McGiveney would appear from stage right split seconds later as a new character. The “reveal” would come at the end of the playlet when lights would go on behind the now-transparent backdrop, and McGiveney would repeat the playlet to show how the quick costume changes were made.
My family lived in the city but was originally from Jersey, and I spent my summers at Lake Hopatcong. Owen McGiveney had a home there to which he would return to between vaudeville tours. He once gave me an exciting ride on his mahogany-hulled Chris-Craft speedboat named “Gibson Girl.” When vaudeville died, after a stint in Ken Murray’s “Blackouts of 1949” and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan TV show, he went to Hollywood and appeared in films as a character actor. Owen McGiveney died in 1967 at the Motion Picture and TV Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 83. His was an original and unusual talent.
.....
Croton Police Blotter - Week of April 28th
April 29
4:10 PM: There was a report from a resident of Peekskill that while her vehicle was parked on Maple Avenue it was struck by another vehicle causing damage to the driver’s side mirror. The matter is under investigation.
April 30
7:56 AM: Croton detectives charged a 32-year-old male resident of Shrub Oak with second-degree Burglary, a felony and Criminal Contempt of a Court Order in connection with the burglary of a Brook Street residence on April 20. The man was taken into police custody and later released after posting $1000.00 bail pending an upcoming appearance in village court.
12:01 PM: Police assisted the dog warden in apprehending two loose dogs running free on the grounds of Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School. The dog’s owner was issued a ticket for violating village code and is due in village court for an upcoming appearance to answer to the summons.
12:09 PM: There was a report from an employee of the Croton Community Nursery School that a two-foot statue of the Virgin Mary was found on school grounds. The statue remains in custody of the police until its rightful owner makes a claim to it.
May 1
11:06 AM: Croton firefighter responded to a call of a car fire on North Riverside Avenue. Upon arrival, responders could not locate the cause for the alarm—though a NYSDOT truck was found in the area filling potholes, with smoke coming from the asphalt, and could have been the confused as a fire.
5:17 PM: There was a report from a motorist on Route 9 North who’s car was hit by a mattress which had fallen off a truck driving ahead. Police responded to the scene and subsequently charged a 33-year-old male resident of Peekskill with driving with an unsecured load and driving without a license. The man was taken to police HQ and was later released pending an upcoming appearance in village court.
11:13 PM: Police repopnded to a report of a disorderly group on Farrington Road. Upon arrival, patrol found a 18-year-old male who was intoxicated—and subsequently called the EMS to transport him to Phelps Memorial Hospital. Later, the teenager was released into the custody of a parent.
May 2
7:18 PM: Police responded to a 911 call from an employee at ShopRite about a dispute between one of the store’s security guards and two men in the vicinity of the can/bottle return area. Police subsequently charged one of the men, a 19-year-old resident of Queens with Criminal Trespass, a misdemeanor, and the other, a 40-year-old male resident of the Bronx with Criminal Possession of a Weapon, a misdemeanor. Both men were taken to police HQ and later released after posting $200.00 each pending an upcoming appearance in village court.
May 3
6:43 PM: There was a report of a domestic disturbance by a neighbor at a residence on Thompson Avenue. Patrol responded to the scene and urged one of the involved persons to leave the area for the night.
May 4
12:30 PM: There was a report from a resident of Croton that while he was walking on Old Post Road South, youths in a four-door Subaru with a spoiler on the back and tinted windows, threw eggs at him. The matter is under investigation.
May 5
9:55 PM: Officer on patrol charged a 33-year-old male resident of Peekskill with driving with a suspended license and obstruction of governmental affairs and False Impersonation after being pulled over on Route 9 North for vehicle and traffic violations. The man was taken to police HQ where he was later released after posting $400.00 bail pending an upcoming appearance in village court.
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 9, 2008 ~
This Way to the 'Giant Garage Sale' Saturday
The Croton Friends of History are offering residents a chance to ‘divest’ themselves of all those things that are just taking up space around their houses. And best of all, the contributions all go to a good cause—namely the Friends of History, and their very-popular series of free, entertaining and educational programs. So, why not donate your no-longer-needed items to their upcoming garage sale. To participate, simply drop off your donated items at 108 Old Post Road South on Friday, May 9, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. And, if you’re unable to bring them yourself, please call 914-271-3135 to arrange for pick-up (for any & everything except clothing).
Then, on Saturday, May 10, 2008, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the GIANT garage sale opens to the public.
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 8, 2008 ~
That's One Good CHEF
To the members of our community:
The sun is shining and spring is truly here! As I walk around our schools and see gardens built at PVC, spring shows at CET, and listen to the wonderful sound system used during West Side Story at CHHS I think of all the ways CHEF has helped the children of this community and I am so very proud of our hard work.
Saturday, May 10th marks the culmination of months of hard work by so many committed and energetic people from our community. Under the Stars, CHEF’s largest annual school fundraiser, will take place that night at the Senasqua Lodge, at Croton Point Park. The pre-dinner wine tasting at 5:30 PM followed by the dinner, dance, and auction starting at 6:30 PM, is truly an evening out for the Croton community.
Please come and enjoy a wonderful evening with old and new friends here in Croton. Please come and support our children and our schools.
If you haven’t bought your tickets there is still time. Log onto www.crotonfoundation.org or call 271-2410.
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday night!
— Gem Mitchell, President, Croton-Harmon Education Foundation
..... ~ The following were originally published on May 7, 2008 ~
Croton Police Blotter - Week of April 21st
April 21
10:40 PM: Patrol responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a residence on Grand Street. Shortly thereafter, officer encouraged on of the persons involved to leave and return the next day to gather personal belongings.
April 22
2:13 AM: There was a report from a resident on High Street about a domestic disturbance in the area. Patrol responded to the scene and upon locating the persons in dispute, urged one of them to leave the area.
3:39 PM: There was a report from a business owner on Grand Street who had safety concerns about a backhoe having been parked atop a nearby pile of dirt. Patrol responded to the scene and later ask the contractor—who was fixing a gas main—to move the equipment.
6:19 PM: There was a report from a resident of Yorktown Heights that damage was done to his car while it was parked at the Croton Harmon train station parking lot.
April 23
12:20 AM: There was a report from a resident of Olcott Avenue about a loud group of youths in the area. Patrol responded to the scene, and after locating the group in question, asked them to be more quiet while awaiting their rides home.
6:25 AM: Officer on patrol reported that sometime overnight, a vehicle was used to push a Johnny-on-the-Spot across the Duck Pond park parking lot. Police reported no damage while the matter remains under investigation.
10:05 AM: An employee in the village engineering department reported possible attempted fraud regarding a permit application for a construction project located on Bank Street. The matter is under investigation.
3:38 PM: There was a report from a resident of Truesdale Drive about two youths who, while on Paradise Island (off Mayo’s Landing) in the Croton River, had started a campfire. Patrol responded to the scene, had the youths extinguish the fire and took them to police HQ. Of the two boys, one, a 17-year-old resident of Briarcliff, was charged with open burning and is expected to appear in village court. Both were later released to their parents.
April 24
9:20 AM: Croton detective arrested a 16-year-old male resident of Croton and charged him with burglary in connection with a recent break-in at Senses Salon, located on Old Post Road South. The youth was later released to a custodial adult pending an upcoming appearance in village court.
April 25
9:20 AM: Officer on patrol reported the sometime overnight, a bike rack was stolen from Duck Pond park on Bungalow Road. The matter is under investigation.
4:39 PM: There was a report from a resident of Hessian Hills Road about a water main break in the area as water was leaking from the outside into his basement. Patrol responded to the scene and subsequently dispatched DPW workers to the area in question to repair the burst pipe.
10:15 PM: There was a report from a resident of Terrace Place about an ‘unfriendly’ dog in her yard. Patrol responded to the scene and contacted a neighbor to retrieve their loose dog.
April 26
6:35 AM: There was a report from a resident of Finney Farm Road about a strange noise in her home. Patrol responded to to scene and help the resident discover that a Leaking pipe was the source of the noise.
1:09 PM: A resident of Alexander Lane reported the an ATV was driving in the area. Patrol responded to the scene but was unable to located the vehicle in question.
1:55 PM: Officer on patrol reported that someone had recently placed “Do Not Eat Animals” stickers on a stop sign at Veterans Corner. Police subsequently removed the stickers from the sign.
April 27
1:45 PM: There was a report from a resident of Endicott, New York, that while his car was parked for two days at the Croton Harmon train station parking lot, some intentionally ‘keyed’ the paint on his vehicle. The matter is under investigation.
3:57 PM: There was a report from a resident of Olcott Avenue that someone had recently stolen his mountain bike from his front porch. The matter is under investigation.
April 28
12:01 AM: There was a report from a resident of Cleveland Drive that someone had recently slashed a tire on his car—which was parked in his driveway. The matter is under investigation.
11:22 AM: There was a report from a resident of Olcott Avenue about a sewage backup at his home. Police directed the DPW to follow up with the caller to help remediate the problem.
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Read more at CrotonBlog.com. Printed on: Wednesday, May 14, 2008