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
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.
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
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?