Westchester Resident Arranged Iconic U2 Performance 30 Years Ago Westchester Resident Arranged Iconic U2 Performance 30 Years Ago
Westchester Resident Arranged Iconic U2 Performance 30 Years Ago GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- In 1987, Dennis Bell helped U2 find what they were looking for. Bell, a Greenburgh resident, put together a gospel version of the band's hit single "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," from their iconic album, "The Joshua Tree." Bell and his New Voices of Freedom Choir performed the song with U2 at Madison Square Garden in September 1987. The performance made it onto the album "Rattle and Hum," and on the band's recent re-release of "The Joshua Tree," on iTunes. U2's record label met with Bell and when they found out he w…
Bear Spotted Near Yorktown Caught On Video Bear Spotted Near Yorktown Caught On Video
Bear Spotted Near Yorktown Caught On Video WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- There's a bear making the rounds in Northern Westchester. A black bear was captured on video making the rounds in the Waterbury Manor development in Cortlandt Manor on Tuesday. Early on in the video, the bear seemingly looked like it might attempt to climb the steps to the front door of the first home it made an uninvited visit to, before it checked out the backyard before rambling to another home. Anyone who may see the bear, should stay clear of the animal and refrain from approaching it to take photographs.  Black bear populations are largely concentrated in…
Community Rallies Behind Peekskill Paramedic Battling Cancer Community Rallies Behind Peekskill Paramedic Battling Cancer
Community Rallies Behind Peekskill Paramedic Battling Cancer The Peekskill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corp is running an emergency fundraiser for a longtime member of the organization. A GoFundMe fundraising campaign has been started online for volunteer Evan Fytros, who has been a part of the Peekskill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corp for more than two decades. As of Friday morning, more than $10,000 of the stated $50,000 goal had been raised by 139 people in just three days. Those interested in donating to the cause can do so online. “Evan is courageously battling cancer! Evan has been a member for (more than) 25 years and has dedicated a goo…
Nicky Is SPCA Pet Of The Week Nicky Is SPCA Pet Of The Week
Nicky Is SPCA Pet Of The Week BRIARCLIFF, N.Y. -- Nicky is looking for a good home. The SPCA is hoping someone will adopt Nicky, who has a lot of energy. Nicky is still learning his manners and how not to be so jumpy, the SPCA said. He would do best in an adult home with people willing to continue his training and he gets along well with other dogs, the SPCA said. For more information, e-mail trainer@spca914.org.
Love, Greed & Dictatorship Are Headlined In New Novel By Westchester Author Love, Greed & Dictatorship Are Headlined In New Novel By Westchester Author
Love, Greed & Dictatorship Are Headlined In New Novel By Westchester Author SCARSDALE, N.Y. -- What happens in the land of samba, Carnival and Bossa Nova when a brutal dictatorship takes over?  If you're looking for a summer read, look no further than "Days of Bossa Nova," a family saga about love, music and greed, set in São Paulo. Scarsdale Author Ines Rodrigues grew up in the South American city and worked as a journalist there before landing in New York years ago. Now, her first novel, inspired by her native home, is being published Saturday, May 27 by Black Opal Books. Rodrigues teaches Creative Writing at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence Co…
Yorktown Student Overcomes Cancer, Gets College Degree Yorktown Student Overcomes Cancer, Gets College Degree
Yorktown Student Overcomes Cancer, Gets College Degree YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. -- A Yorktown Heights student who battled cancer recently received her college diploma.Diana Pernicano was one of 618 students who received their diplomas at the Mount Saint Mary College Commencement in Newburgh on Saturday almost four years after she was diagnosed with cancer. Pernicano found a lump in her neck during a hands-on lesson in a nursing class that she credits with saving her life. She began treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma and is now cancer free.  “They say it takes a village, and it took the help of a lot of people to get me well enough to continue at th…
Put Valley Girl Busts A Move On 'Ellen' Put Valley Girl Busts A Move On 'Ellen'
Put Valley Girl Busts A Move On 'Ellen' Bianca Busa, an 8-year-old Hudson Valley resident, loves to dance, no matter what the stage. Busa, of Putnam Valley, performed on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Monday, dancing to Kendrick Lamar's song "Humble." "I started dancing since I was two and I remember when my sister was four years old, I used to always watch her dance and I used to always do her dance on the side with her," Busa said. Busa told DeGeneres that she dances six days a week and thinks of happy things when she dances...except for when she gets into her "fierce" mode. "When I ge…
Briarcliff Boy Is A Pokemon Whiz Kid Briarcliff Boy Is A Pokemon Whiz Kid
Briarcliff Boy Is A Pokemon Whiz Kid BRIARCLIFF, N.Y. -- When it comes to playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game, Sebastian Male-Diaz is a child prodigy.Male-Diaz,  a 10-year-old who lives in Briarcliff and is in 5th grade, is ranked 11th  in the country for his age group, regularly traveling across the country competing in tournaments.  He has been invited to compete in tournaments in Australia. He recently finished in 2nd at a tournament in Virginia and last weekend competed at a tournament in Toronto. In Pokemon, players use their Pokemon to battle their opponent with the goal of winning knocking out their opponents cards.  …
Ossining Soldier Deployed In East Africa Ossining Soldier Deployed In East Africa
Ossining Soldier Deployed In East Africa OSSINING, N.Y. -- Drew Young, who graduated from Ossining High School, has served his country in the Army for more than 30 years. Young is currently deployed in East Africa about 100 miles from Somalia. This is Young's sixth combat deployment. He was recently awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his service as a Senior Counterintelligence Officer in the Horn of Africa.  Young got commissioned into ROTC after graduating from Ossining. He served in the Persian Gulf War and has been to Iraq three times and Afghanistan twice. This is his second deployment to Africa.  "I was d…
Croton Actress Stars In New Short Film Croton Actress Stars In New Short Film
Croton Actress Stars In New Short Film Jennifer Jiles, a Croton-on-Hudson actress who grew up in Poughkeepsie, is ready for her closeup.  Jiles' stars in the new short film, "The Waiting Room." She plays Janet who is in purgatory waiting for her husband to join her. To Janet's surprise, when her husband joins her, he shows up with his new wife. The movie was written and directed by Debra Markowitz.  "Waiting Room is dramedy, which is new for me," Jiles said.  "It's really fun to make people cry. Last year at the Peekskill Film Festival, Jiles screened "Mother of the Week", a short film she wro…
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Westchester Singer Turns Life Into Music She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Westchester Singer Turns Life Into Music
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Westchester Singer Turns Life Into Music MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- College has turned out to be very fruitful for Larchmont resident Paul Thomas (aka PT) Prigoda. It's where the 20-old musician has found inspiration for his songs. The Mamaroneck High School grad, now studying at Connecticut College in New London Conn., just released his second single off his upcoming EP,  "The Adventures of Sophomore Year." His music, a combination of bubble gum pop with raps on top, is built around the themes of college (and high school) life. "A lot of it happens to be about girls and love though," he admitted. Still, there are s…
Westchester Residents Bill Clinton, James Patterson Writing Spy Thriller Westchester Residents Bill Clinton, James Patterson Writing Spy Thriller
Westchester Residents Bill Clinton, James Patterson Writing Spy Thriller Bill Clinton can now add novelist to his resume. The Chappaqua resident and 42nd president of the U.S. announced he is working on a new novel with bestselling author James Patterson, who has a home in Scarborough, that involves the President of the United States. "The President Is Missing,"  a spy thriller is set to be released in June 2018. “Working on a book about a sitting President — drawing on what I know about the job, life in the White House, and the way Washington works — has been a lot of fun,” said Clinton in a statement. Clinton has written three nonfiction books, whi…