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Westchester Now

Latest news and conversation around the news from Westchester, Rockland and the Hudson Valley.

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Meghan E. Murphy

Education reporter Meghan E. Murphy moved to the Hudson Valley five years ago to write about the community's concerns and achievements in local schools. Aside from drawing unusual enjoyment from reading policy briefings and crunching school budget data, Meghan is somewhat of an expert on local food and farming. In her spare time, she enjoys sampling farm-fresh goat cheese and hunting for mushrooms. When she's not tromping around on a farm or in the woods, Meghan studies Traditional Okinawan Karate and assists in teaching students of all ages about self-defense, respect and confidence.

Follow on Twitter: @reportermurphy

Bernard Charles campaigns at Hasidic Jewish rally against Internet 'evils'

Rather than attending a community forum hosted by

Photo credit: Angela Gaul

It seems school board member and Spring Valley mayoral candidate Bernard Charles had a better place to be Thursday night than an NAACP forum -- a place where there were far more voters to whom to make his campaign pleas.

Rather than attending a community forum hosted by the NAACP, Charles was spotted at Rockland Boulders stadium where thousands of Hasidic Jewish men and boys gathered to hear...

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Ossining MATTERS raises cash by 'selling' educators

One way to deal with continual budget cuts

Photo credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara

Amy Seiden was outbid online Wednesday by a 13-year-old in Ossining who really wants to win that shoe-shopping trip with teachers Sarah Arbitrio and Linda Whitney.

And with just three days to go, the leading bid to be assistant princpal for a day at Roosevelt Elementary School is up to $50.

The Ossining MATTERS fundraiser, which antes up cash for extracurricular programs and equipment,...

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Sophia Stevens, Saranac eighth-grader, creates mock state test

Standardized tests used to evaluate students will be

Photo credit: Rory Glaeseman

Teachers have been letting off a lot of steam lately about how standardized tests don't inspire creativity. Not true for one upstate 13-year-old, Sophia Stevens of Saranac.

As reported by The Washington Post blog Answer Sheet, Stephens actually created an entire mock test Sunday, constructed as a clever commentary on state tests, which students began taking Tuesday.

In her fake test,...

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Anne Marie Rooney, New Rochelle educator, finds out Tuesday if she is a "Live with Kelly and Michael" top teacher finalist

Ann Marie Rooney, left, of New Rochelle, is

Photo credit: Handout/Getty Images

New Rochelle will be watching tomorrow morning to see whether its own Anne Marie Rooney is named one of the five finalists for top teacher honors on TV's "Live with Kelly and Michael."

Rooney, a special education teacher, said last week that she was overwhelmed by the nomination from thankful parents for her work with their autistic son. She said that for more than...

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Albert D'Agostino targeted by East Ramapo students

Students convene their own board meeting to talk

Photo credit: Meghan Murphy

For the second school board meeting in a row, a group of outraged East Ramapo students will take to the sidewalk outside of the administrative building Tuesday night to give board members and the community something to think about.

Last month, about 100 students held up English and Hebrew signs calling for the restoration of graduation day on a Sunday rather than Monday and at their schools...

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Peekskill Middle School students study climate change

Scott Tabone, an adviser of the Peekskill Middle

Photo credit: Megan Murphy

Students at Peekskill Middle School have turned the destruction from superstorm Sandy into a months-long investigation of climate change that they will present at a symposium in Florida next month.

Gathered to practice their 20-minute speech Thursday in a middle school art room, the students spoke of how power outages, downed trees and spoiled food made them think more about why two major...

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Hudson Valley grad's blood-clotting invention goes viral

Joe Landolina, a Pine Bush High School graduate

Photo credit: Handout

A 2010 Hudson Valley graduate has found himself on page 19 of the New York Post on Monday -- not for scandal or intrigue -- but for discovering a gel that one day could save soldiers' lives.

Joe Landolina, 20, of Pine Bush, and his business partners at Suneris Inc. have developed a gel patch that can be placed on a wound to quickly stop the bleeding. He has partnered with a cardiovascular...

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Silenced East Ramapo public's only recourse is the polls

East Ramapo School Board members Moshe Hopstein (standing),

Photo credit: Faye Murman

The East Ramapo School Board president called community activists miscreants and labeled students the pawns of adults Tuesday, just before taking a step toward effectively silencing public comment with a policy change. And there's not much frustrated parents can do about it.

Daniel Schwartz said those folks had chosen to use public comment as "a vehicle of both intimidation and to harass,...

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Parent files ethics complaint against East Ramapo attorney

File photo of Albert D'Agostino before a meeting

Photo credit: Newsday/Daniel Goodrich

The mother of a student who was the subject of some harsh words from East Ramapo School Board attorney Albert D'Agostino filed a complaint with the Grievance Committee for the Tenth Judicial District on Thursday.

Charlene Williams-Pulakos asked the committee to investigate an incident Tuesday in which D'Agostino allegedly called her 17-year-old son, Nicholas, a profane name after a School...

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19 Hudson Valley teens head to international science competitions

Dennis Lin of Yorktown High School gives a

Photo credit: Susan Stava

Nineteen Westchester County and Putnam County high school students will head to international science competitions after presenting grand prize-winning projects at the 2013 Westchester Science and Engineering Fair.

On Saturday, students showcased projects at Sleepy Hollow High School that they've spent their high school careers and summers developing. The topics researched range from cancer...

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