Commentary on local issues from guest contributors.
“A person hears only what they understand.” –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe By Richard Cirulli Life may seem to be a contraction at times. To quote Dickens, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This seems
Read MoreBy Miriam Gold A few of the culprits helping to harm the environment are sitting inside our homes and yet many are unaware of it. Old air conditioners and refrigerators are harming the ozone layer, which we depend on for
Read MoreBy Michael Gold I went walking in a pot of thick soup as big as Westchester. That’s what the heat wave felt like. It was 95 degrees in Pleasantville one day at the end of June, according to Accuweather. That’s
Read MoreBy Neal L. Sullivan and Ginny Nacerino Last fall, the Putnam County Legislature and County Executive MaryEllen Odell went through the county’s spending plan with a fine-tooth comb, funded the services that our residents rely upon and cut redundancies. To
Read MoreBy Laura Markowski It was the call that changed my life. My best friend Cheryl suggested I try 23andMe. She had just done it and found some long lost relatives and thought it would be fun. Maybe we would figure out
Read MoreBy Gail Ritterhoff The health of a community depends on the wellness of everyone who lives and works within it. When individuals thrive, so does society at large. Northwell Health is fully committed to this notion, recently launching a Raise
Read MoreBy Michael Gold Have you wondered if, after they’re smoked, cigarettes go to heaven? If there is a cigarette heaven, I imagine it would be a crowded bar, smoke-filled, of course. Happy little cigarettes would dance on the top of
Read MoreBy Lisa Katz, Tara Kassal, Andrea Sanseverino Galan and Victoria Bayard Tipp The Town of New Castle is at a significant crossroads. As the community grapples with the need to create a sustainable vision for our town, revitalize our hamlets
Read MoreBy Holly McCall, Lori Morton, Michael Weinberg and Jennifer Bounds Although there are many issues facing New Castle, the Form Based Code (FBC) is rightfully one of the most prominent. More than a mere zoning code, the FBC can enable
Read MoreBy Michael Gold Every time you go to a doctor, you have an unwanted 800-pound ghost in the office, always injecting itself into every conversation about your treatment. That ghost is, of course, your insurance company. The doctor’s goal is
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