School Budget (yes/no)

School Budget Passes 1,770 734

Jefferson 107/50
570 Fifth 8/0
Barnard 203/62
Davis 220/80
MLK Center 101/45
NRHS 250/112
Trinity 85/46
ALMS 192/39
Holy Name 87/88
Ward 187/47
IEYMS 106/52
Columbus 54/50
Webster 170/63

School Board (2 seats available)

Chrisanne Petrone 1,947
David Lacher 1,692

Library Vote

NRPL Budget Passes 1,767 644

Library Board of Trustees (2 seats available)

Bernardo Nunez 1,681
Haina Just-Michael 1,676

There have been quite a few complaints about a certain New Rochelle municipal employee who works for the New Rochelle Police Department and also works for the City School District of New Rochelle. Unlike teachers, staff and parents at the school, this particular employee has managed to obtain a special "reserved" parking space close to the school entrance. She has obtained that space by parking illegally on Davenport Avenue near the intersection with Pelham Road. Based on complaints from parents at the school, this has been going on for some time.

Tuesday May 15th are the elections for the New Rochelle Board of Education and New Rochelle Public Library Board of Trustees. The school district and library budget vote are also scheduled.

Incumbents David Lacher and Chrisanne Petrone are running unopposed for the New Rochelle Board of Education.

The proposed school district budget for the 2012-2013 school year is $234,174,978, an increase of 1.43% on a budget to budget basis with a projected tax rate increase of approximately 4.13%. The actual tax rate is determined in the fall when the city’s tax roll is set.

Incumbents Haina Just-Michael and Bernardo Nunez are running unopposed for the New Rochelle Public Library Board of Trustees.

The proposed library budget is $4,468,996 based on a 2.2% in the tax levy for New Rochelle residents. This translates to an increase of $93,209 in the tax levy. The increase is below the New York State property tax cap.

The skies over New Rochelle filled with black, billowing plumes of smoke this afternoon after a boat docked at the New Rochelle Marina caught fire.

The New Rochelle Fire Department responded to a call about 2:30 p.m. The fire was fully engaged by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.

No injuries were reported. The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire.

The Westchester County Board of Legislators approved by a 10-7 party line vote the Reproductive Health Care Facilities Access law which allows abortion clinic personnel to make a police complaint on behalf of patients who are "having trouble getting through a crowd or demonstration". Democrats who wrote the law says the law "fills the gap between federal legislation and state legislation that is already in place".

Critics say the law was unnecessary, a political ploy and an affront to free speech. One called it a blatant attempt to arrest and bring lawsuits against pro-life advocates outside abortion clinics.

U.S. News & World Report recently evaluated nearly 22,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals based on state proficiency standards, how well they prepare students for college, and other factors. New Rochelle was not ranked.

Westchester Magazine is once again hosting its spectacular Food & Wine Festival. The event has expanded this year into a four-day extravaganza, the largest gathering of Westchester’s restaurants at one event in one place in Westchester County’s history.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday May 17th. Joining Astorino will be Kevin Nunn, Director of the White Plains Business Improvement District, many other political and business dignitaries plus 23 local chefs including Peter Kelly, X20 Xaviars on the Hudson; Anthony Goncalves, 42 The Restaurant; Anthony Micari, BLT Steak; Eric Gabrynowicz, Restaurant North among others.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will open the first event in four-day series, “Burgers, BBQ and Beer Bash,” featuring weekend filled with 200 world-class wines, 100 top restaurants and 18 special events. The proceeds from the event will benefit The Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless.

Long-time New Rochelle resident Ralph Lucarrelli at Cozzerelli on The Sopranos will appear on NBC this coming Tuesday in the May 16th episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The episode will air on Channel 4 at 10:00 p.m.

This will be Lucarrelli's 4th appearance on the long-running TV series. He appeared in 2003 ("Kip"), 2004 ("Gus") and 2007 ("Diner Owner #1"). He has also appeared on the original Law & Order show in 1999 ("Joseph Russo") and 2001 ("Frank").

Lucarrelli appeared in the HBO series The Sopranos as the owner of Cozzerelli's funeral home in two episodes in the Third Season (2001) and one episode in the Fifth Season (2004).

Many handis make light warke.

Many people like to say they support the troops. Here's a chance to show how. The organizers of the New Rochelle Memorial Day Parade are looking for a few good men, women and children.

The floats for the parade need to be pulled out of the Ward Acres Barn, dusted off and readied for the parade next week. If you can give an hour of your time, they would appreciate your stopping by at 10 AM to pitch in.

The Ward Acres Barn is accessible from a driveway on Quaker Ridge Road. The location is on the north side of Quaker Ridge Road between Sussex Road and Pinebrook Boulevard.

OFFICIAL FROM WESTCHESTER COUNTY POLICE: Shortly before 1 p.m., Westchester County Police were notified by employees of the Department of Environmental Facilities that a suspicious envelope was received in the mail at its offices at 270 North Avenue, New Rochelle. The county police Hazardous Devices Unit responded shortly after 1 p.m. and conducted an assessment of the envelope and its contents. The envelope did not contain any explosive, chemical or biological hazard. There was no “white powder” of any kind inside the envelope. The building was evacuated during the incident. Employees were permitted to return once HDU personnel determined there was no threat to the general public. The matter remains under investigation by the county police General Investigations Unit. Because of that investigation, we are not disclosing additional details at this time about the contents of the envelope.