Milone named executive director of Jopling Foundation
Prominent Peekskill community member Debbie Milone has joined the Daisy Jopling Music Mentorship Foundation (DJMMF) in the role of executive director.
The Foundation’s mission is to bring the power of world-class music-making to community performances to enrich lives and empower youth to become more confident, creative and empathetic human beings. DJMMF has proven to be a strong influence in the lives of young artists.
“I could not imagine a better person for the position of executive director of our Music Mentorship Foundation than Deb Milone,” said Daisy Jopling. “With her expertise, vast experience, brilliant and creative thinking, perseverance, inspirational positivity, dedication and enthusiasm, we will be able to serve thousands more students with free music programs in the Westchester area, continuing throughout the U.S. and beyond. I am thrilled and honored to have Deb on our team.”
Milone has served in numerous community volunteer and formal capacities and has been recognized by local, county, and state governments for her community service.
She started her career at CBS Television Network, becoming a Writer/Producer for the network’s sales department. After a stint as a free-lance marketing consultant, she became sales manager for the Gazette newspaper chain in Croton-on-Hudson. She joined the sales department of Guide Communications in 1991, becoming Vice President of Sales/Marketing in 1996, and then district sales manager at Yellow Book in 2007.
In 2010, Milone was named executive director of Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce. She retired from the Chamber as president in August 2022.
Her community involvement includes the following affiliations: Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) Board Member; Vice Chair, Peekskill Zoning Board of Appeals; first woman President of the Peekskill Rotary Club; Paul Harris Fellow; Indian Point Decommissioning Community Task Force; Peekskill DRI Community Panel; Community Advisory Board Member, NYP/Hudson Valley Hospital Center; Consumer Advisory Board, Westchester County.
Peekskill posts jobs for general foreman, animal warden
Two new job postings are listed on the City of Peekskill website. The city is looking to hire a general foreman and an animal warden.
The general foreman will develop, plan, and oversee construction projects and capital improvement projects throughout the City of Peekskill and supervise employees assigned to two DPW Units (Highway/Central Garage and Sanitation).
The animal warden will patrol a municipal area in search of stray and/or unlicensed animals and is responsible for impounding and transporting them, assist in taking the annual dog census and enforces statutes for regulation of licensing, ownership, and animal control.
See the listings and find information on how to apply here.
Fernandez sentenced to 15 years in Brickhouse murder
A second man is headed to state prison in connection with the January 2023 murder of Peekskill resident Ricky Brickhouse.
Arnold “AJ” Fernandez received a 15-year sentence in Westchester County Court on Aug. 14 after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He was originally charged with second-degree murder.
Following a dispute involving a woman between Fernandez and Brickhouse, Brickhouse was shot on John Street near Spring Street. The car with the gunman and two other men sped away and was later stopped on the Sprain Brook Parkway in Greenburgh.
Fernandez and the two other men in the car, Omar Williams and Errick Lowe, were taken into custody. Williams pled guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and got seven years in state prison. Lowe pleaded guilty to misdemeanor weapon possession, receiving one-year probation and no jail time.
The gun used in the shooting was found on the side of the road a day after the shooting. DNA traces from both Williams and Fernandez were found on the .40 caliber Smith & Wesson. Authorities investigating the case were unable to determine for certain who fired the fatal shots that killed Brickhouse.
The tip line is always open at the Peekskill Herald
Have a story idea that you’d like to see a reporter from The Herald check out? Ever think of a question that you wish someone would answer?
We always want to hear from our readers and here’s your way to reach us. Whether it’s a question regarding a specific event, an economic development project, or just a trend you’ve noticed, we want to hear it.
Send us your questions. We’ll review and evaluate the submissions and select those we can answer. We’ll publish the story. Send your question to [email protected].
PHS teacher wins costume Super prize at Fanatics Fest
Peekskill High School teacher Sarah Peterson won the mega prize at the first ever Fanatics Fest in New York City at the Javits Center. Peterson won the best-dressed fanatic of the weekend and received the news that she will be attending the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA finals, Stanley Cup, MLS Cup, WWE Wrestlemania and a UFC fight.
Peterson, a Buffalo Bills fan, wore her Bills Mafia costume, complete with the famed folding table that Mafia members use as a landing pad used in parking lot Bills tailgate parties. Her winning costume went viral through videos posted by fans all weekend in New York City.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin picked Sarah and wrote on Instagram “We are about to go find Sarah right now who is the best dressed fan of the weekend.” The post continued, “I can’t wait to go tell her she won.”
Rubin called her outfit “50 out of 10! I’ve seen some crazy, crazy, crazy Superfan outfits and I gotta tell you, you’re No, 1. You are going to the Super Bowl.“ NFL Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly signed the table.
Red Devils kick off 2024 football season Sept. 14
With fall just a few weeks away, the time for football is fast approaching. Peekskill’s Red Devils will take the field on Sept. 14 at home for the 2024 opener in a rematch of last year’s thrilling win over Tappan Zee in the Hudson Valley Football Tournament.
That 20-14 victory capped off a successful 6-3 season for the gridiron varsity in 2023. Peekskill is looking for more great games and another exciting season for their many fans this year.
The 2024 schedule is:
- Sept. 14 at home vs Tappan Zee 6:00 p.m.
- Sept. 20 at Poughkeepsie 6:00 p.m.
- Sept. 28 at home vs Port Chester 6 p.m.
- Oct. 5 at home vs Albertus Magnus 1 p.m.
- Oct. 12 at home vs Haldane 1:30 p.m.
- Oct. 19 at home vs Walter Panas 6 p.m.
- Oct. 25 at home vs Greeley 6:30 p.m.
Preliminary school tests scores show half at proficiency
The State Education Department has released preliminary data on the 2023-24 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics (Math) assessments, and the Grades 5 and 8 Science assessments.
The results were released to schools and school districts to provide parents and families with their students’ assessment results and inform instructional decisions and individualized learning plans for students during the 2024-25 school year.
Overall, the 2023-24 state assessment data from public and charter schools show that proficiency rates of students in Grades 3-8 on the ELA and Math assessments are 46 percent and 52 percent, respectively; the proficiency rate of students in both Grades 5 and 8 on the Science exam is 35 percent. [Data are subject to change after the local review and verification period has closed and statewide quality checks have been completed.]
This year marked the second year of state testing since New York adopted the Next Generation Learning Standards, a revision to the Common Core standards that previously guided state curricula. The new learning standards were designed to foster play-based learning for younger students, incorporating some of the holistic learning practices that critics felt Common Core restricted.
These annual tests, required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), are designed to measure how well students are mastering the learning standards that guide classroom instruction and are a valuable tool to help ensure students have the supports needed to succeed.
The annual tests are intended to be one measure used to assess student learning and one tool of many used by educators to ensure students are getting the services and supports they need to prepare for career, college, and civic readiness.
Parcel on South Water Street up for sale
Own a (small) piece of riverfront property in Peekskill and ” build your dream home or investment property” at 404 S. Water St. The empty lot is priced at $260,000.
The real estate listing reads:
“Discover the perfect opportunity to build your dream home or investment property on this stunning riverfront parcel in Peekskill, N.Y. This rare piece of land offers unparalleled views, prime location, and endless possibilities.
“Permitted uses. (a) Commercial uses with a maximum floor area of 4,000 square feet for each structure limited to the following uses: [1] Retail stores. [2] Arts and crafts studios, art and/or antique galleries or museums. [3] Professional and business offices. [4] Personal services, including beauty parlors, barbershops, tailors and nail shops. [5] Furniture, cabinetry and musical instrument design, fabrication and repair and small appliance repair, provided that items are offered for sale on the premises. [6] Dance studios, martial arts studios, health clubs, gyms and similar indoor recreational uses used solely for commercial purposes. [7] Dry-cleaning stores, except that no dry cleaning may be performed on the property.”
Road Knights Auto Club car show Sept. 15 in Verplanck
The Road Knights Auto Club is hosting a car show event to support their charitable causes on Sept. 15 at Cortlandt Waterfront Park in Verplanck.
The show will feature a variety of cars, with no pre-registration required, and is scheduled to proceed whatever the weather. Vehicle registration opens at 8:00 A.M. and will conclude at 11:00 A.M., with an admission charge set at $20. Food and entertainment will be available on site.
Other Road Knights Auto Club Car Shows to look forward to in 2024 include the Fall Festival and Car Show on October 13, taking place at the Jefferson Valley Mall.
For additional information about the car show, interested parties are advised to text or call Curt at 914-490-8473.
Updates and more details can also be followed by visiting the Road Knights Auto Club on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Lincoln Depot Museum holding anniversary bash Sept. 21
The Lincoln Depot Museum in Peekskill will hold its 10-Year Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser on Sept. 21.
Come and celebrate the museum’s milestone and enjoy delicious food tastings from many of Peekskill’s magnificent restaurants. A special performance will be provided by international star and friend of the museum, Daisy Jopling. It is guaranteed to be a night to remember.
Tickets to the event are $100 per person, $80 for members of the museum. The event will begin at 7 P.M. and end at 10 P.M. Beer, wine and soda will also be included.
The museum is also looking for sponsors for the event. Please consider being a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Sponsor or pick a level you are comfortable with.
To purchase tickets for the event or become a sponsor, visit the museuem’s website.
Mid-Hudson to receive $10.5 million for youth jobs
New York state has awarded nearly $40 million for the next phase of the Youth Employment Program, which will help New York continue reducing gun violence by providing job opportunities and training to at-risk youth in communities across the state. The Mid-Hudson regions will receive $10.5 million.
The program plays an important role in New York State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative, which operates in 21 counties with most of the state’s population outside New York City, according to state officials.
The $38.8 million includes investments in year-round jobs and training opportunities for young people in regions that receive support from the GIVE initiative. This funding is expected to provide paid work and training opportunities for approximately 2,500 low-income, at-risk youth across these areas of the state from September 2024 to June 2025.
The most recent phase of the program ran from January 1 – June 30, 2024, when approximately 2,650 young people participated in the program, working at schools, libraries, restaurants, camps/child care programs, community organizations, and other job sites.
Hike through an abandoned railway trail at Bear Mountain
The remains of a little known abandoned attempt to build a tourist railroad in Bear Mountain State Park today provides adventurers with a ‘”pretty cool place to visit” while out for a hike in the wilderness.
The Dunderberg Spiral Railway is included in a list of abandoned structures and infrastructure dotted throughout the Hudson Valley and Catskills recently compiled by the Albany Times-Union.
The Railway was a pleasure railroad partially constructed in 1890-1891 on a mountain near Jones Point, Rockland County, New York. It was never finished. The first part of the ride would have taken the cars up two inclined planes to the summit 900 feet above the Hudson River, where visitors could disembark to enjoy the scenery. Then the cars would have coasted by gravity down a nine-mile scenic railway, making two spirals and three switchbacks. It would have been to this day the biggest roller coaster ever constructed.
The mountain is now inside Bear Mountain State Park, and hikers today can combine a walk through beautiful wooded hillsides with a search for the remains of the Spiral Railway. About two-thirds of the line was graded before work stopped. Even though the route was laid out along natural contours, every part of it required grading to provide a roadbed for the track. There are cuts through solid rock, and high fills of rock and earth. A tunnel was begun at one location and a cut stone arch bridge was almost finished at another. The inclined planes are nearly complete. There is even a well-graded construction road up the mountain. [From a report by Joseph Brennan, Columbia University]
Obituaries
Philip G. Miller
Phil, a beloved dad to Daria Hoffman and her husband Charles, grandfather to Lauren and her husband John Russo and Samantha Hoffman, to his life partner Nancy O’Hare, sister to Hazel Karbel and brother-in-law to Bob Karbel, uncle to Justin and Alissa Karbel and Tracy Karbel, brother to Matthew Miller, passed away on August 19, 2024. He was previously married to Carol “Jo-Ann” Miller, who died in 2009 from cancer. Phil was a much-loved friend to the many people whose lives he touched. He was a member of the Elks Peekskill Lodge, local political organizations, the Mohegan Colony Association; where he spent all his life, and the Mohegan Fire Department.
Phil loved to tell the story of how he was raised in Shrub Oak on a chicken farm, collecting eggs and milking cows as a child. He later began his career as a heating and air conditioning specialist for many years, owning his own business. Later in life, he was an entrepreneur who had tremendous vision for local real estate development projects.
Above all, he was a musician, and his passion was the trumpet. He was famous for playing Taps, playing in local bands, and basically playing anywhere in the world that he traveled. He never left home without his trumpet and was always good for a blast of Happy Birthday, Hava Nagila, Bésame Mucho and countless other tunes he knew by heart, at a moment’s notice.
He made friends for life, wherever he went, telling his stories, jokes and flashing his smile. He had a talent for making people feel loved, making them laugh and had a huge heart.
Dorothy Pelaccio
Dorothy Marie Pelaccio (nee Dorothy M. Babchak) was born in Peekskill, New York, on October 2, 1927 and passed away peacefully in Chesterfield, Virginia, on August 19, 2024 at the age of 96, with her daughter Joan and son-in-law Don Kappel by her side. She had resided in Chesterfield County, Virginia, since 1996.
Her husband of 46 years, Ronald John Pelaccio, owned the Sunoco service station on Washington Street that was well known for 38 years in Peekskill for its excellence and integrity. Dorothy worked as the bookkeeper for the business. Ronald predeceased her in 1997. She also was predeceased by her parents, Mary and John Babchak, and a brother, Jack Babchak.
Dorothy and Ronald had traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad. She was a lifelong avid reader and was a member of numerous book clubs, as well as the Peekskill Garden Club. She also was well known for her gourmet cooking and baking skills and legendary dinner parties.
She is survived by a sister, Eleanor Babchak of Putnam Valley, NY; two daughters: Diane M. Striano-Lent of Mt. Sinai, NY, and Joan M. Kappel of Chester, Virginia, and by granddaughters Alissa M. Turner, Courtney M. Kipp and Brooke A. Jones; and grandson Ryan J. Striano.
Dorothy also is survived by her great-grandchildren: Alex, William and Christopher Martinez; Ainsley and Piper Talbott, Reese Jones, Sloane Striano, and by great-great grandson, James Martinez.
Dominick J. Viola
Dominick J. Viola, Sr., a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully at his home on August 18, 2024. Born on November 11, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York, Dominick was the youngest of ten children of Lucia Amarosa and Vincenzo Viola.
Dominick graduated from the institution now known as the Fashion Institute of Technology. He served his country with honor as a veteran of the Korean War and had a brief but meaningful career in law enforcement with the Westchester County Parkway Police. He also enjoyed playing semi-professional baseball, reflecting his deep love for the sport.
In 1963, Dominick married Nina Giannone, who survives him. Together, they raised two sons, Dominick Jr. and Victor, who is married to Mary. He was a proud grandfather to six grandchildren: Gabriella, Matthew, Mia, Lexi, Daniel, and Jessica, who were the light of his life. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, all of whom held a special place in his heart.
Dominick had a great sense of humor and a gift for making people laugh, leaving a trail of smiles wherever he went. His kind spirit and ability to bring joy to others will be remembered by all who knew him.
Dominick found success as a real estate broker, significantly contributing to the development of the Highlands Condominiums in Peekskill, leaving a lasting legacy in the community.
