R5 Westchester 2012 Year in Review: May

Hollywood North?

Seems to be. The latest to set up housekeeping in horsey Northern Westchester are the tabloid darlings (and Green Lantern co-stars) Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, joining such fellow A-listers as Rob Thomas, Richard Gere, Michael Douglas, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, not to mention Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, and David Letterman. Need we go on?
 

Mary Kennedy Suicide

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After years of struggling with depression, alcohol, and drugs, Mary Richardson Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is found hanged in a barn on her property in Bedford. She was an architect specializing in sustainable design, and was an active volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco. She and Kennedy had four children together.
 

Fatal Fire

Dry weather, wind, and a discarded cigarette come together to cause a fatal fire that claims the lives of Larchmont Police Captain Thomas Sullivan, his wife, and his two daughters at their home in Carmel, New York. Their son, Thomas Sullivan, Jr., is the only survivor.
 

 

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Children’s Author Dies

Longtime Chappaqua resident Jean Craighead George, best known for her Newbery Award-winning novels Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain, dies at 92. Her more than 100 books have been published in the millions all over the world. The Westchester Library System honored her with a lifetime achievement award in 2007.
 

 

 

Clean Sweep

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Looks like county school boards took the new property tax cap seriously, presenting voters with bare-bones budgets. They aren’t disappointed: Voters approve every single school budget in the county.
 

Priced Out

You would think that a 2009 settlement for Westchester to create 750 affordable housing units would be well underway. Or not. Judge Denise L. Cote of the Federal District Court rules that County Executive Rob Astorino violated the housing deal when he vetoed an anti-discrimination measure in 2010. The New York Times writes: “The Department of Housing and Urban Development is withholding $12 million in community development grants from the county. And Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said ‘We expect the county to comply fully with all of its obligations under the consent decree, and we stand ready to act as appropriate to enforce the county’s obligations if necessary.’” Sounds like one mean game of chicken.
 

We’ve Got Nothing to Hide

While Westchester County Airport isn’t the sleepy little outpost it once was, it hardly seems a likely location for terrorist infiltration. But, in the spirit of being prepared, the TSA has decided we need our own full-body scanner, which authorities promise is not as, um, revealing as earlier models. But not to worry—it’s totally optional; a “very thorough pat-down” is posted as an alternative. Remember when air travel was fun?
 

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 23!

Our Best of Westchester Readers' Ballot is open through January 15!

Our Women in Business Awards event is November 21!

Our Best of Business event is October 30!

Our CEOs & Business Leaders Golf Outing is August 5!

Our Best of Westchester Party is July 24!

Our Westchester Home Design Awards event is June 26!

Our Wine & Food Festival returns June 4-9!

Our Wunderkinds event takes place on May 23!

Our Best of Business Ballot is open through May 15!

Our Healthcare Heroes Awards event takes place on May 9!

Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

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