CITY OF PEEKSKILL

Peekskill Resident Named Valedictorian of Greenwich School

Peekskill resident Arianna Chin was named as the 2026 valedictorian of Sacred Heart Greenwich, a private all-girls Catholic school in Greenwich, Connecticut. 

In a press release on April 28, Sacred Heart Greenwich said the distinction reflects Chin’s exceptional dedication and achievement earned through the highest cumulative GPAs over her four years at the school. Chin will be attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall of 2026.

In Chin’s Senior Spotlight quote, she said: 

“During my time at Sacred Heart Greenwich, I enjoyed the small, everyday moments with my friends — whether that meant relaxing together in the Core Center or supporting each other through stressful tests and assignments. One of my favorite memories was winning the FAA Championships in 2023 with my soccer team during my sophomore year. The game went into overtime and penalty kicks, making the victory especially exciting and rewarding.”

She continued, “Sacred Heart Greenwich has prepared me well for college by teaching me how to balance academics and athletics while also showing me the importance of building meaningful relationships. Throughout my time at school, I have been involved in a wide range of activities, including Varsity Soccer, Madrigals, ACaBellas, Middle School Math Tutoring, Pre-Med Club, Voices, the Barat Foundation, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Garden Club, Perspectives, and Global Scholars.”

Jailed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Additional 10 Years in Prison 

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Claton, announced on April 28 that Kerome Lendon Paisley was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring, while already imprisoned, to traffic more than a kilogram of fentanyl, including drugs that ended up in Peekskill. 

Paisley’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, who also presided over his guilty plea.

“After serving nearly 22 years in federal prison for a prior narcotics conspiracy, Kerome Paisley was given a chance to re-enter society,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Instead, he brazenly chose to traffic more than 10,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills from behind bars, potentially endangering countless New Yorkers.  Those who are committed to dealing deadly drugs as a way of life — even from prison — will earn themselves substantial federal prison time.”

A press release said that according to the complaint, the indictment, and other documents in the public record, “During February 2025, as part of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy, Paisley used a contraband cellphone to organize the sale of over 10,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills that resembled legitimate 30 mg oxycodone pills.  

After a co-conspirator of Paisley’s brought the pills to Peekskill to sell them, law enforcement officers found and seized them.  At the time, Paisley was approaching the end of a nearly 22-year federal prison sentence due to his role in a prior narcotics trafficking conspiracy.  After determining Paisley’s identity, law enforcement officers arrested Paisley on the day he was due to be released from his prior sentence.”

In addition to the prison term, Paisley, 49, of Jamaica, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Clayton praised the investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being handled by the office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmi Schickler is in charge of the prosecution.

Peekskill NAACP Hosts County DA Office at Meeting

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Peekskill Area Chapter hosted guest speakers from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office at the Field Library on Tuesday, April 28.

Speakers Chief of Investigations Andrew Grascia and Criminal Investigator Autumn Edwards gave a presentation on the work of the district attorney’s office in an event moderated by Peekskill NAACP president Priscilla Augustin. 

The meeting came about after the NAACP met with the DA’s office to discuss its decision not to pursue criminal charges for officers involved in a use-of-force incident during an arrest at the Peekskill Riverfront on Dec. 3. The Peekskill Police Department previously announced two of those officers were placed on unpaid suspension pending a disciplinary hearing process.

Grascia told participants he could not speak about the case due to it being under open investigation but spoke about the process of how the district attorney reviews use-of-force incidents when they are submitted to its office.

“If it was submitted to the district attorney’s office for review, for excessive use of force, we would take the police reports, the body camera, any witness statements and walk ourselves from the beginning all the way through,” Grascia said. “What I will tell you is, video lies and doesn’t lie at the same time. Do you have the entire video? How is the video done? What is the condition of the video? Are there frames missing from the videos? Is it from one angle, not another?”

Grascia also spoke about hypothetical cases where a police officer may behave badly, saying the district attorney recognizes that prosecuting that officer has a “deleterious” effect on the relationship with that police department. 

“For anyone to think the current district attorney is not going to prosecute a police officer possibly because we have a relationship? Well we have a relationship with the community. We have a relationship with individuals. Your job is to get conviction. Our job is to be fair,” Grascia said.

– Eric Harvey

Man Found Dead Inside Building, City Manager Says in Quality of Life Report

City Manager Matthew Alexander gave a quality of life report, on Monday, April 27, for arrests by the Peekskill City Police Department over the past two weeks, as well as tickets issued for traffic and parking violations.

Alexander said that following notification from the Building Department, police responded to a location on Lower Main South Street to find a death had occurred.

Chief of Police Adam Renwick told the Peekskill Herald in an email that officers responded to 400 Main Street on April 7 for the report of a deceased individual being located inside of the building. Police officers entered the building, and located a 45-year-old man who was deceased. Peekskill police detectives responded to the scene, and with the assistance of the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office, are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the man’s death. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

Other quality of life reports included:

• Following a suspicious vehicle parked in Depew Park and occupants found in possession of narcotics, police made a crack cocaine arrest. 
• Police worked with the school district on stranger danger education following a previous incident of a man who was arrested for child endangerment after approaching two separate 14-year-old girls.
• As a result of community complaints about vehicle and traffic violations in the Highland Park neighborhood, Riverview and Central Avenue, police increased enforcement and conducted 36 traffic stops and issued 29 tickets.
• On the week of April 27, 642 parking tickets were issued and 175 traffic signs issued citywide. A walking post yielded 13 violations.

City of Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie also shared that a Peekskill neighborhood litter pickup over the weekend of April 24 yielded 3.8 tons.

– Eric Harvey

Descendants of Jan Peeck Make Surprise Visit to Peekskill

The City of Peekskill shared on social media that Caroline Peeck and Valerie Peeck, descendants of Jan Peeck, made a surprise visit to the city on Tuesday, April 28, with their families, where they met Mayor Vivian McKenzie and toured the city.

According to the city’s website, “New Amsterdam resident January Peeck made the first recorded contact with the native tribal people of this area, identified at that time as the ‘Sachoes.’ The date is not certain (possibly early 1640s), but agreements and merchant transactions took place, which were formalized into the Ryck’s Patent Deed of 1684. Peeck’s Kil (Dutch for ‘stream’) thus became the recognized name for this locale.”

“Thank you for your visit, and we hope that you enjoyed exploring our city and its rich history,” the city wrote on social media to the descendants of Jan Peeck.

Council Passes Local Law on Senior Citizen Tax Exemption, and More

The Peekskill Common Council passed one local law and 23 resolutions on Monday night, April 27. All were passed unanimously, barring one resolution relating to removing a handicapped space for which the mayor recused herself.

The local law adopted a real estate exemption for senior citizens, a revision allowing municipalities to increase exemption percentages for senior citizens whose income falls below the current lower limits.

Resolutions passed included:

• Authorizing declaring Fire Department vehicle Engine 132 as surplus and authorizing to enter into a professional services agreement with Adirondack fire equipment to sell it.
• Authorizing to allocate $148,231 from the $1.7 million grant awarded from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York in the Park and Recreation fund for renovations to City of Peekskill playgrounds.
• Entering into an agreement with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, accepting a $675,000 grant to fund further improvements to Depew Park.
• Authorizing a contract amendment ($195,400) with Hudson Engineering for the Lower South Street Sewer project.
• Authorizing 2026 resurfacing and paving of streets ($987,000), contract extensions or bidding, and joint pavement agreements with Con Edison.

The full list of resolutions can be viewed by clicking here.

– Eric Harvey

Students Participate in Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute

The Peekskill City School District said 11 students from Peekskill High School were selected this year to be part of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PR/HYLI).

In a social media post, the district said the program empowers students to develop their leadership skills, collaborate with other students in the Hudson Valley, and develop in-depth knowledge of the state legislative process.

On the weekend of April 22, five Peekskill High School students were selected to represent the Hudson Valley for a mock assembly at the Capitol in Albany. To be part of the program, students had to apply, commit to attending monthly meetings and research local issues while studying the New York State legislative process, parliamentary procedure, and selected bills.

Peekskill High School student Leanna Marte was awarded a scholarship of $1,000 through the PR/HYLI program.

City Seeks Community Support for ‘The Peekskill Plan’

The City of Peekskill is seeking expressions of interest from active and well-connected community members to serve as Informal Community Ambassadors during the development of the City’s new comprehensive plan.

The city said Community Ambassadors will serve as liaisons between the planning process and the communities they represent, where they will share information, promote engagement opportunities, and gather input. The city said participation is flexible and allows Ambassadors to engage at key moments throughout the initiative.

For more information and to apply, click here.

TOWN OF CORTLANDT

Bill Introduced to Extend Indian Point Cessation Mitigation Fund

Legislation has been introduced to extend the electric generation facility cessation mitigation program to assist counties, municipalities, school districts and special districts with the closure of electric generation facilities like the now-decommissioned Indian Point nuclear plant for another five years.

The legislation, announced in a press release by state Sen. Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg on April 28, would allow those impacted entities grappling with significant property tax revenue reductions to receive financial assistance for up to five years.

“The costly financial situation for towns and schools that have depended on substantial tax revenue from Indian Point requires as much help from the state as possible,” Harckham said. “The cessation mitigation fund has given municipalities and schools some breathing room, but the out [final] years of the program are fast approaching. Extending the program will help alleviate the burden on taxpayers and give local officials more resources to work with.”

The press release said the cessation mitigation fund, authorized as part of the FY2018-2019 State Budget and paid for through a surcharge on utility bills, is meant to help protect local taxpayers from future financial hardships caused by the closing of big electric generation plants. When Indian Point shut its doors, a number of municipal entities in the impacted area, including the Town of Cortlandt, Hendrick Hudson School District, and the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, were eligible for assistance, along with the Village of Buchanan.

When Indian Point closed in 2021, the school district lost millions of dollars of revenue and Buchanan lost 50% of the funds to run the village. In the intervening years, the fund proved to be a vital lifeline. The fund contributed more than $15 million to the affected local governments in 2025.  

“Closing Indian Point has made our communities safer, but it has also meant a big loss in tax dollars, particularly for the Hendrick Hudson School District,” Levenberg said. “I will continue working with my colleagues at all levels of government to find ways to fill that gap, starting with extending the duration of the cessation fund.”

According to the press release, Entergy, the parent owner of the Indian Point Energy Center, shut down the remaining two nuclear reactors in use in 2020 and 2021 as part of a 2017 settlement with New York State based on legal disputes concerning environmental and safety issues. Low natural gas prices and declining revenue from electric generation also factored into Entergy’s decision to decommission the nuclear energy facility.

With the program set to expire in 2028, Harckham and Levenberg agreed that it was necessary to introduce their bill in their respective chambers to extend the length of the program by five years. The bill was amended recently because the underlying statute that needed to be changed was in the unconsolidated section of laws.

Cortlandt Town Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker, Buchanan Mayor Theresa Knickerbocker, and Hendrick Hudson School District Superintendent Michael Tromblee gave gratitude to the elected officials for advancing the Cessation Fund Extension Bill.

“The closure of the Indian Point nuclear plant and subsequent transfer of ownership to Holtec caused the Hendrick Hudson School District to lose $32 million annually,” Becker said. “It is easy to see that the school district is being hurt as an innocent bystander. Residents of the Town of Cortlandt are facing up to an 8% increase in school taxes. This is simply unaffordable to this community. By extending the well justified cessation funding from five to twelve years, the school district can raise school taxes in an incremental stepwise fashion, allowing the school district to remain intact, and the community to remain healthy and affordable.”

Croton-Harmon Varsity Softball to Host ‘Game of Hope’ to Raise Mental Health Awareness

The Croton-Harmon Varsity Softball Team is hosting its annual charity game, “The Game of Hope,” formerly the Pink and Teal Game. The event will focus on raising awareness for mental health in honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month. 

All proceeds from the night will go back to NAMI Westchester according to a press release from Head Varsity Softball Coach Stephanie Gaudinier.

“This cause is especially important to our players, as mental health affects not only student-athletes, but our entire community,” Gaudinier said. “This is more than just a softball game for us. It’s a chance to come together, support one another, and show that no one has to face these challenges alone. Our team is proud to take the field with a purpose: swinging the bats to help end the stigma around mental health.”

The opening ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Firefighters Field. The event will include food, treats, games, prizes and a 50/50 raffle.

“We hope families, friends, and the Croton community will come out not only to support a great cause, but also to enjoy a competitive and exciting game,” the release said.

According to the release, the event is part of a larger initiative led by Croton High School athletic director, Christine Drago, and the athletic department to raise awareness about mental health among all students, not just student athletes. Throughout the week, Tigers will be participating in activities and workshops focused on education, support, and wellness. The Game of Hope will bring the week to a close and lead into NAMI Westchester’s Mental Health Walk on Saturday, May 16 at Ridge Road Park.

Community Groups Share How to Support Immigrant Neighbors

On Sunday, April 26, at the First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown, Yorktown/Somers Interfaith Council, Race Amity of Northern Westchester & Putnam, and the Peekskill Area Chapter of the NAACP jointly presented a program entitled “Supporting Our Immigrant Neighbors: What’s Happening Now? How Can We Help?”

A press release stated there was an “attentive crowd of over 60 people” and representation from nearly a dozen faith communities. Speakers Nancy Matsunaga of the CCoHope Indivisible Immigration Justice Committee and Ignacio Acevedo of the NYCLU presented a non-partisan educational overview of immigration in the United States and up-to-date coverage of what is currently happening in the Hudson Valley.

The release said many attendees had their questions answered and that meaningful steps going forward were discussed. Both speakers also advocated the passage of the “New York For All” act, which would limit state and local resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement.

Hen Hud Students Complete Work on Cortlandt Youth Advisory Council

The Hendrick Hudson School District shared on social media, “Four Hendrick Hudson High School students — Ella Henderson, Jacob Bass, Maytal Bar, and Noah Eichenholtz — recently concluded their work on the Town of Cortlandt Government‘s Youth Advisory Council with a powerful and meaningful project honoring local veterans.

“In collaboration with the Town of Cortlandt, the students designed and conducted interviews with veterans in the community, giving them the opportunity to share their personal stories and lived experiences. Through thoughtful conversations, the students not only deepened their understanding of history, but also helped bridge generational connections and ensure these important voices are preserved.

“Once completed, the interviews will become part of the Town of Cortlandt archives and will also be submitted to the Library of Congress, creating a lasting legacy that extends far beyond the local community.

“Town officials praised the group for their dedication, insight, and compassion throughout the process, noting how genuinely the students engaged with each veteran and the care they brought to every interview.

“Special thanks to program mentors Vic Messick and Walter Rozanski, as well as Dr. Aaron Kleinman, the district’s Director of Guidance, for their support in helping bring this project to life.

Hendrick Hudson is proud of these students for their commitment to service, storytelling, and preserving history in such a meaningful way!”

‘Workers Over Billionaires’ May Day Rally Held in Cortlandt

About one hundred people gathered Friday, May 1, along Route 6 near the entrance to Cortlandt Town Center to participate in the “Workers Over Billionaires” rally, a local demonstration held as part of the nationwide May Day Strong mobilizations. The event, held from noon to 1 p.m., aimed to highlight economic struggles that the movement says is facing workers and what it perceives as the growing influence of billionaires in politics and the economy.

Rally organizer Mark Lieberman of Yorktown explained that the protest was part of a broader national movement focused on defending working-class communities. “It’s to focus on workers who are actually losing ground. Union membership has been falling. Billionaires are taking advantage,” Lieberman said during the event. He also criticized economic inequality, adding, “If you have a billion, you don’t really need another billion. If you’re earning $40,000, you can really use another $1,000.”

Lieberman said the rising cost of living continues to place increasing pressure on working families. “Now the cost of life is really expensive for everybody. Everything’s going up,” he said. He also argued that meaningful change must begin with political representation. “First, we have to change who’s in office, so we have people in office that think about the average worker and the average family, and not the billionaires and special interests.”

A March 2026 opinion piece in conservative newspaper The Wall Street Journal characterized the overall “No Kings” protest movement as “bad group therapy.” It criticized the protests as “emotional validation” rather than being catalysts for tangible political change.

Although Friday’s demonstration specifically marked May Day activities, Lieberman noted that his group regularly organizes public demonstrations throughout the region. “Every other week we have a rally, and we do it at a different location,” he said. Organizers estimated attendance at around 150 people, with additional support coming from passing drivers honking their horns along the busy roadway.

At the close of the event, Lieberman encouraged community members to become more involved in civic action. “If you feel the way we do, get involved… if you don’t speak up, you’re accepting things the way they are,” he concluded.

 – Ariana Almeida-Martinez

STATE OF NEW YORK

Office of Levenberg Hosting Mobile Office Hours 

The staff of Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg will be hosting mobile office hours to help Assembly District 95 constituents navigate state agencies, get information about state programs, get other resources, and more.

The next three sessions are on May 11, June 8, and June 22.

Monday, May 11, 1-4 PM: Croton Free Library, 171 Cleveland Dr., Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520

Monday, June 8, 1-4 PM: Desmond-Fish Library, 472 NY-403, Garrison, NY 10524

Monday, June 22, 1-4 PM: Briarcliff Manor Public Library, 1 Library Rd., Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510

Assembly District 95 contains portions of Westchester and Putnam counties, including Buchanan, Coldspring, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Ossining, Peekskill, Phillipstown, and a majority of Briarcliff Manor.

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