Lightning Strikes on Stratton Road
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The weather was tempertuous on Friday. The day began with sunny skies and temperatures that soared into the 90's. But by lunchtime, thunderstorms moved in. A lightning bolt from the quickly moving storm struck a primary electrical line which snapped and burst into flames at about 1:35 pm. The picture of the line in flames was taken in front of 9 Stratton Road. The Scarsdale Fire Department and Police Departments stood by until Con Edison arrived.
Text by Drew Hahn/Photo by David Lawless
Emily Hirsch Turns 95
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Our beloved “Sweet Lady,” officially turned 95 years young on Friday, June 15th, and I was there to share in the celebration. And, oh boy, what a celebration. Friends, family, residents, and fellow local proprietors came out in full force to show their love, respect and admiration for one of our town’s treasures. There really is no one like her.
Emily’s son, Jeff Brown, a retired attorney, says, “She’s just a terrific person, who has always been there guiding me throughout my life.”
Jill Lefkowitz, one of Emily’s granddaughters, added, “She’s also a great role model with a pretty remarkable work ethic.” That’s for sure!
After chitchatting with Emily’s family for a bit, I had one burning question that I needed answered. So, I turned to Emily’s son Jeff, and asked, with resolute determination, “I see your Mom driving, almost every morning, a pretty old Mercedes, and I’m dying to know…what year is it? And, how does she see over the steering-wheel?”
Jeff smiled and gave a little laugh, as he answered, “It’s an ’84 Mercedes and she adds two cushions to the driver’s seat for some added height.”
Hmmm. The mystery has been solved.
The nicest thing about Emily’s birthday bash was the community outpouring of love and affection that went into it. La Renaissance made a beautiful cake, Starbucks donated the coffee, Scarsdale Art and Frame provided a gorgeously framed birthday card and Chamber of Commerce commendation, and Lange’s supplied the outdoor venue and food.
Bonnie Ernst, a friend from Scarsdale Child’s Play for 31 years, was there to enjoy the festivities. She informed me that Emily recently signed a two-year lease to remain in her current space. Yay.
The party also drew Dr. Rosen from Scarsdale Eye Gallery, Michelle from La Dentelliere, and a group from Accent
Tony from “Lange’s” and Emily’s good friend, Ann Jackler, a local psychotherapist in town, joined forces to throw
I asked one of Emily’s granddaughters, Jill, “Have you been surprised at how beloved your Grandmother is?”
Her answer, quite simply, “Not really.”
Happy Birthday, Emily!
Photos courtesy of Karen Baranick and Sharon Lippmann
Contributor Sharon Lippmann, writes about her "so called suburban life" as a proud resident of Scarsdale, NY. She is a writer, blogger, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and one sassy chick. She loves exploring the interesting, strange, perplexing, vexing, ridiculous and funny that life offers up frequently. Enjoying more of what she has to say about nothing, and, well, everything at mydailypill.com .
Bank Scammers Arrested in Scarsdale Village
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Another big week for Scarsdale Police: Quick work on the part of personnel at Chase Bank on East Parkway and Scarsdale Police lead to the arrest of a Mt. Vernon woman and a Bronx man who were attempting to use forged identification to withdraw funds from the bank. Bank personnel recognized Fern M. Davis from a security image that was distributed after she made a similar attempt at Chase Bank on Palmer Avenue last week. Police also had a description of the car she was driving.
Police got a call from Chase on Wednesday afternoon June 6 
at 1:42 pm that a woman, who was later identified as Davis, age 47, had attempted another withdrawal and was leaving the bank. Police were able to stop Davis in her car which was driven by Shannon Burley, age 31 of the Bronx. The two were unable to make a getaway due to the horrific traffic in the Village, which was snarled by the Popham Road Bridge project, a Verizon truck on the Popham Road Bridge and a Con Edision truck that was repairing a gas leak downtown. Stuck in the car, it was easy for police to stop and investigate them.
The two were charged with a host of offences stemming from a string of similar incidents at area banks including:
- Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument
- Attempted ID Theft
- Attempted Grand Larceny
- Unlawful Possession of Personal ID information
Both were arraigned in Scarsdale Village court and remanded to the Westchester County Jail on $75,000 bail each.
Scarsdale Kids Fight Poverty With Lemonaid
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Dozens of Scarsdale children supported the Robin Hood organization on Saturday June 9 by setting up lemonade stands to sell drinks and goodies to support a great cause. Robin Hood contributes the funds from the "lemonaid" initiative to underprivileged children who live in local urban areas, to provide meals, medical help, nutritional information, schooling, shelter, and legal counsel for those in need. The organization’s efforts highlight the1.8 million New Yorkers that live below the poverty line and the 59% of babies born in NYC who are born into poverty. Every year at this time, organizers send out kits and “lemonaid” T-shirts to all parents and children that want to take part in this program to sell lemonade to benefit children in need.
(contributed by Debbie Singer)
The Parking Permit Lottery: Equality vs. Loyalty
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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In the early days of the Christie Place garage, few Village residents were willing to pay the additional fee required to park there. Indeed, there were so few takers, the Village allowed commuters to swap their Freightway permits for Christie Place permits in order to generate buzz about the new garage.
Today, demand is so high that the Village is holding a lottery for the privilege of using the Christie Place garage from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. As a result, commuters who currently park at Christie Place may be forced to make alternative arrangements in the year to come, and many of them aren’t happy about it.
The increased demand for Christie Place parking permits has, undoubtedly, been driven by the construction project on Popham Road. It’s now harder than ever to get to and from the Freightway garage, both by car and on foot. Commuters who have opted for Freightway in the past because parking permits cost hundreds of dollars less than those for Christie Place are fed up with the time-consuming hassle, and they’re demanding spots in Christie Place. These demands pit historically budget-conscience residents with those who’ve been willing to pay a premium for the “right side of the tracks” convenience of Christie Place.
In an attempt to treat all of these commuters in a similar manner, the Village recently abandoned its practice of selling parking permits on a “first come, first served” basis in favor of a lottery. Although the previous system didn’t guarantee residents an ongoing right to park in the garage of their choosing, longtime permit holders were cognizant of the June 1 date for submitting a new application and, in general, were able to renew their permits from year-to-year. This year’s lottery, however, casts doubt on the value of the calendar-watching on which permit holders have relied in the past.
One commuter, who asked not to be identified, said that “the imposition of a lottery tells me that the Village doesn’t care that I’ve paid a $400 annual premium to park in Christie Place since 2009. If this decision was made by the Village Board, then our mayor and trustees apparently value equality over loyalty, and they’re out-of-touch with the mores of our community. My kids and I look forward to the elimination of the ‘adult only’ lap lanes at the municipal pool this weekend.”
Applications for parking permits will be accepted by mail from Friday, June 1 through 5 p.m. on Monday, June 10. A lottery to select applications is scheduled for Tuesday, June 12. The cost of an annual permit to park in Christie Place was recently raised to $1,450 (vs. $1,250 for 2011/2012). A permit to park in the Freightway garage during this period is $890 (vs. $840 for 2011/2012). Additional information is available on the village website .
