CITY
Peekskill attorney disbarred from practicing law
Peekskill lawyer John H. Hersh has resigned as an attorney and counselor-at-law and been disbarred by order of the state’s Supreme Court, 13 years after his treatment of a female client led to an 18-month suspension of his law license.
Hersh represented the client in her divorce case and won an $11.5 million settlement. But their sexual relationship resulted in the client charging in 2015 that he took advantage of her frailty, depicted her as crazy and pressured her to agree to a settlement in which she lost primary custody of her two children. According to Hersh’s attorney, he was suffering from depression and separation from his wife when he started the affair. In 2016, they both agreed to drop the lawsuit.
Hersh admitted to the relationship but denied the other charges. He was suspended from practicing law for 18 months beginning in July 2020 after a grievance committee found that he engaged in consensual sex with a client, did not maintain billing records, and failed to maintain complete records of client funds.
However, during that suspension, according to court documents Hersh “…engaged in the unauthorized practice of law while he was a suspended attorney. The respondent avers that he cannot successfully defend against the allegations …” in the Second Appellate Division’s March 19 ruling in the case brought against Hersh by the Grievance Committee for the Ninth Judicial District.
Little Leaguers from 4 to 16 can sign up now to Play Ball!
Future Aaron Judges and Shohei Ohtanis can sign up to play baseball this spring in the Cortlandt National Little League (CNLL).
CNLL is open to all youth living or attending school in the Hendrick Hudson School District and surrounding areas including Peekskill from ages 4 to 16. Interested participants outside of Hen Hud should contact the league directly to discuss possible additional requirements.
The league provides an opportunity to learn and excel at baseball, while making friends and practicing good sportsmanship. It is is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization chartered under Little League Baseball, Incorporated.
The season runs from March 29 to June 15. Registration closes on April 12. Fees range from $150 to $325 depending on age.
Contact the league administrator or registrar with any questions at [email protected] and [email protected].
You can learn more about the league here.
Childcare transportation forms due April 1
The Peekskill City School District Transportation Department must receive all childcare transportation applications no later than April 1 for the 2025-2026 school year.
Childcare transportation applications are not carried over from year to year. Forms were mailed home in January, and they were backpacked this week.
In addition, another mailing went out last week. Please keep an eye out for these important forms. You may also click here to download the forms.
Peekskill hiring Section 8 program specialist
The City of Peekskill is seeking a Program Specialist for the Rental Assistance Program.
The program specialist coordinates activities of the City of Peekskill’s Section 8 Rental Assistance Program, including screening and selecting eligible program participants, providing assistance with landlord negotiations, and issuance of Housing Assistance checks. Supervision is not a responsibility of this position.
Other duties include managing a caseload and conducting annual re-certifications for clients, including any interim re-certifications and any new admissions of clients on the Section 8 program.
The specialist will also conduct a HUD rent reasonableness test to determine if units are affordable for clients, and prepare information for informal hearings to be given to the Section 8 Director.
The posting end date is April 4, 2025. To see the position is available here.
High schoolers win awards at Regeneron Science Fair
Three local high students were honored at the 2025 Regeneron Westchester Science & Engineering Fair (WESEF).
Peekskill High School Science Research students Jemell Acosta and Megan Flores won the silver medal and a $75 prize for their project “Social Media Influencers’ Effect on Middle Schoolers’ Dietary Choices.” They competed against 740 participants from the top schools in Westchester County.
And Hendrick Hudson senior Lena Pfeiffer won the Visionary Engineering Award for her project “A Novel Approach of Using Commercial Semiconductor Device Technology for Biosensing” that explored using a bipolar junction transistor (BJT)-based device as a biosensor for measuring pH in saliva.
Pfeiffer is a student in Dr. Christine Rogers’ Science Research class. She was one of three Hendrick Hudson students whose work was showcased this year at WESEF. Pfeiffer was joined by fellow seniors Oakley Gougelman and James McManus.
Pfeiffer credited the guidance of her research mentor, Dr. Sufi Zafar, a renowned research scientist at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center.
My Brother’s Keeper Summit, Saturday, April 5 at PHS
“Pathway to Success: Navigating Life’s Challenges” is the theme of My Brother’s Keeper Summit on April 5 at Peekskill High School.
All young males from Grades 8 through 12 are invited to join mentors and community leaders including Peekskill City School District Superintendent Dr. David Mauricio and Dr. Eudes Budhai, assistant superintendent of secondary education.
The MBK Summit will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on-site registration will be available.
NYC’s ‘Most Charming Day Trip City With An Artsy Aura’
A recent article posted on Islands.com is inviting visitors to discover Peekskill.
“Just over an hour from Manhattan if you take the Metro-North Hudson line from Grand Central Station, Peekskill offers a perfect mix of small-town charm and artistic energy,” the article states.
“One of Peekskill’s downtown streets, Division Street, is occasionally closed to traffic so restaurants can extend their seating outdoors, creating a lively, European-style atmosphere.”
“Beyond its rich culture, the town also offers a taste of the Hudson Valley’s breathtaking nature, whether you prefer hiking, biking, or simply enjoying a sunset along the water.”
You can read the entire article here.
Photos of Peekskill Sculpture trail at Riverfront Park
“The romantic scenery of the Hudson River trail has inspired artists for hundreds of years.” – Livia Straus, co-founder of Hudson Valley MOCA.
The Peekskill Sculpture trail at Riverfront Park hosts the work of some of those artists with the Hudson River landscape in Peekskill. Journal News photojournalist Peter Carr created a montage of photos capturing the sculptures recently.
The sculptures include Fjorward by Christine Corday, Tides by Emil Alzamora, Golden Mean by Carol A. Feuerman, Peekskill Dragonfly by Mark Andreas and Arc by William Logan.
Hudson Valley MOCA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and education organization, was founded in Peekskill by Livia and Marc Straus, significant collectors of contemporary art since 1968. The museum works with an international roster of renowned artists as well as emerging local talent.
You can read about the exhibits of the Sculpture Park at the MOCA website here.
And you can see Carr’s photos on Lohud here.
School district celebrates Music in Schools with concert
The Peekskill School District celebrated “Music in Our Schools” month by bringing together all of the district’s choral programs in Grades 4 to 12 for a sing-a-long at Peekskill Middle School.
Bravo to all of the students, teachers and volunteers that made the event a success and a big thank you to parents for all they did to support children to prepare for the concert.
Click here for photos from the event and here for the video of the closing song “Shine Like Stars.”
Main Street building downtown listed for $949,000
1014 Main St, a mixed-use property in the heart of downtown Peekskill, is on the market.
The building consists of two retail stores, one office space and one one-bedroom residential apartment. A new roof was added in December 2024. The building was constructed in 1890. One former tenant, Botanica Persephone’s Pearl, is relocating to One Park Place.
Rents include $3,400 for the larger store, $1,750 for the smaller store, $1,500 for the office, and $1,350 for the residential unit, all below market rate according to the listing. The listing price is $949,000. Gross income is $96,000 and net operating income is $69,000 according to the listing.
YWCA White Plains, Peekskill hold summer ‘Camp Funkist’
It’s never too early to plan for camp. The City of Peekskill is excited to partner with the YWCA White Plains and Central Westchester for Camp Funkist Peekskill.
The camp will feature fun activities, creative programs and lots of outdoor play in the fresh summer air. Camp Funkist will offer sports, art, musical theater and more.
Session 1 runs from July 7 to July 25 and Session 2 from July 28 to Aug. 15. A $100 deposit is required.
For those who would like to register, visit this website. For additional information, contact Johnathan Zamora at [email protected].
COUNTY
GOP picks challenger to Colin Smith for county rep seat
The Westchester Republican Party held its convention earlier this month and nominated Christine Sculti for Westchester County Executive. Sculti will now run against Democrat County Executive Ken Jenkins on Nov. 4.
Jenkins defeated Sculti in February in a special election to replace George Latimer, who was elected to Congress. The Nov. 4 election will be for a four-year term.
The Westchester GOP’s slate of candidates include: Judy Jakab-Derocco from New Rochelle for Westchester County Clerk; Edward R. Mevec from Buchanan for Westchester County Surrogate Court Judge; Joseph I. Farca New Rochelle for Westchester County Court Judge; Jeanmarie A. Marquardt from Cortlandt Manor, Westchester Family Court Judge and Kevin R. Byrnes, Jr., from Yorktown, for County Board of Legislators District 1, which includes Peekskill.
Incumbent legislator Colin Smith has the endorsement of the County Democratic Party and the Working Families Party.
Byrnes Jr., a Yorktown resident since 2001, retired as a Detective Sergeant with the NYPD in 2011 after 25 years of service. He is currently chairman of the Yorktown Republican Town Committee.
“Public safety has been my passion going back to my teenage years, when I served as volunteer firefighter in the Pleasantville fire department and as a member of the Pleasantville ambulance corps,” Byrnes Jr. said. “As a legislator, my main focus would be on public safety throughout the county, affordability, and ensuring our tax dollars are spent wisely and fairly.”
STATE
State legislature urged to repair broken discovery laws
In January 2020, significant changes to New York’s discovery statutes took effect that established shorter timeframes for sharing discoverable material with the defense.
The new discovery statute has since been repeatedly amended without addressing its fundamental flaws, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office.
“The discovery reforms enacted in 2019 have turned the criminal justice system on its head,” Susan Cacace, Westchester County District Attorney said in a statement last week.
“Survivors of domestic violence trust that if they summon the courage to report their abusers to the police, the system will treat their claims with care and consideration. But the system is no longer holding up its end of this deal,” Cacace said. “In Westchester and statewide, cases are being dismissed on mere technicalities, despite the due diligence and good-faith efforts of prosecutors, because of factors well beyond their control.”
According to the County District Attorney’s office, in 2019, before the reforms went into effect, case dismissals in Westchester comprised an 8.7 percent share of total case dispositions. In 2020, the first year the discovery amendments went into effect, that number climbed to 11.7 percent. By 2023, case dismissals comprised 14.6 percent of all dispositions, and in 2024, that number reached 15.4 percent. “That means between 2019 and 2024, case dismissal rates in Westchester have nearly doubled,” Cacace said.
This is attributable, in large part, to the discovery changes that took effect in 2020, Cacace said. (Note: statistics for the years 2021 and 2022 have been omitted due to incomplete data collection.) Because of the new timetables included in the reforms, and the way the law treats belated disclosures, judges are dismissing cases even where discoverable material was withheld inadvertently, or where the delayed disclosure was in no way prejudicial to the defense. Once a case is dismissed against a criminal defendant, it cannot be retried.
Cacace stood alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, Domestic Violence Bureau Chief Joyce Miller, fellow District Attorneys, advocates and domestic violence survivors last week in support of reforms to New York’s discovery laws.
REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
- 163 Union Avenue LLC, Cortlandt Manor. Seller: Schimmeck Realty Company LLC, White Plains. Property: 2127 Crompond Road, Cort- landt. Amount: $2.1 million. Filed Feb. 25.
- Celina Properties 1 LLC, Mahopac. Seller: Mark Felder, Peekskill. Property: 147 Bay St., Peekskill. Amount: $315,000. Filed Feb. 20.
- East Duncan Hill LLC, Putnam Valley. Seller: RAA Re- alty Corp., Croton-on-Hudson. Property: 2030 Albany Post, Cortlandt. Amount: $450,000. Filed Feb. 25.
- 163 Union Avenue Peekskill LLC, Ossining. Seller: 163 Union Avenue LLC, Cortlandt Manor. Property: 163 Union Ave., Peekskill. Amount: $745,000. Filed Feb. 20.
- MJD Contracting Corp., Carmel. Seller: Kevin M. Carter, White Plains. Property: 733 Hoover Ave., Peekskill. Amount: $386,000. Filed Feb 13.
NEW BUSINESSES
- College Connection, 136 Overlook Ave., Peekskill 10566. c/o. Filed Feb. 27.
- Hiram N Mendez, 738 South St, Peekskill 10566. c/o Hiram Noel Mendez. Filed Feb. 4.
- Nohemi A. Masonry & Landscaping Co., P.O. Box 295, Peekskill 10566. c/o Raul Arpi. Filed Feb. 7.
- Pickle Time, 15 Damian Way, Cortlandt Manor 10567. c/o Nancy del Monte. Filed Feb. 3.
- Westchester Staging & Design, 108 N. Division St., Peekskill 10566. c/o Albelisa Kemp. Filed Feb. 3.
BANKRUPTCIES
- Ibrahim Ilaiyan, Hopewell Junction, re. Tri Star 6 Inc., Cortlandt Manor, 25-35258- KYP: Chapter 13, assets $632,578, liabilities $488,087. Attorney: Gary Gjertsen.
