Northern Westchester

In a back and forth game, Briarcliff fell 47-45 in the Class B semifinal at the Westchester County Center in White Plains today.

With the victory, Nanuet advances to the Class B final on Tuesday. To view additional photos from today’s game, click here.

The final countdown is here! Tomorrow marks the start of our week-long “Unofficial Mayor” contest. Play every day Monday through Friday and you could win a mini laptop computer, a chance to guest blog here for three months, and a profile in our Sunday Express. Play any day and you could win a digital camera.

Most importantly, this contest is your chance to boast about, and show off your knowledge about your community. Don’t be afraid…this isn’t a test and there are no right or wrong answers.

Get the rules and details here so you’re prepared. See you back here tomorrow!

Things got back underway in the Section 1 basketball championships at the Westchester County Center following a winter storm that hit the Lower Hudson Valley last Thursday that post-poned today’s North Salem Class C semi-final game against Blind Brook.

North Salem’s Danielle Fiacco puts up a shot under pressure from Blind Brook’s Jackie Lavitt. North Salem went on to defeat Blind Brook 43-29, advancing to the Class C championship on Tuesday, March 2 at 4 p.m. against Haldane. To see a gallery of photos from this game, click here.

Debbie Bein of Poughkeepsie, second from right, teaches a design class for art quilters during the Northern Star Quilters Guild gathering at Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers earlier today. Watching her is, from left, Joan Sictron of Somers, Chris Roche of Somers, Yvonne Clayton of Stamford, and Kay Marcarello of South Salem.

Quilters from all over the Lower Hudson region came to the school to spend the day sharing quilting secrets. The club, which has 250 members, meets once a month. To view additional photos from the gathering, click here.

Workers from Asplundh Tree Expert Co. cut down a large tree that fell on power lines on Pine Rd. in Briarcliff Manor in Briarcliff Manor earlier today.

Parts of the Lower Hudson region remain without power since Thursday night. The snow that fell Thursday and Friday caused power outages to over 50,000 Westchester residents and more throughout the region. Check back at Lohud.com for storm cleanup updates. For a gallery of photos from the storm, click here.

Tim Gecaj of John Jay, left, beat James Donner of Niagara Wheatfield in a 285-lb consolation match at the New York State Wrestling Championships in Albany. The finals are later today.

See more photos from today’s matches

Nobody likes to think about Monday just when the weekend’s starting, but you should if you want to enter the Express “Unofficial Mayor” contest. Here’s the deal: You’re not an elected official, but you’re the one who knows every important place, person and issue in your community; the person newcomers and neighbors go to when they have a question.

We’re going to give you the chance to show how much you know about your community by holding the Express “Unofficial Mayor” Contest, here on this blog from March 1 to 5.

This isn’t a quiz. There are no right or wrong answers. But we will be challenging you to answer questions that show how connected you are to your hometown.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a mini laptop computer, a profile published in a Sunday Express, and the chance to be a guest blogger here for three months. Two Second Prize winners will receive a digital camera.

We’ll post one question here each day from March 1 to 5, and give you two hours to post your response. The more fully-informed your answers, the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize!

We’re going to hold this contest three more times during the year, then ask you to vote on the ultimate “Unofficial Mayor” from among our Grand Prize winners — so enter now!

Today I met NYSEG worker Jonathan Steipak as he was attempting to repair a power line downed by a fallen tree. He’d been on the job since 8 a.m. and already knew he’d be working through the night.

I spent the day covering the storm. I put 90 miles on my car today, traveling from Rockland to Tarrytown to Bedford and back. You sort of develop a nodding comraderie with the other folks stuck working in the snow; there’s an understanding there.

Still, I am humbled whenever I meet the men and women, who like me, aren’t sledding with their children or playing with their dogs. Unlike me, they are restoring power, clearing roads, driving ambulances and responding to accidents.

People will be warmer and safer because they worked around the clock in this snowstorm. I can only witness it with my camera, share their hard work with you, and thank them, most sincerely.

You can see more photos of this storm from my hard-working colleagues by clicking here.

Billy Watterson of John Jay, left, beat Nick Kelley of Shenendehowa in a 119-lb quarterfinal match at the New York State Wrestling Championships in Albany.

See more photos from the meet

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America.  The Eagle Scouts of Westchester-Putnam held a Gathering of the Eagles this week at Sleepy Hollow County Club that drew more than 130 holders of the scout’s highest designation.

Here is a photo of the youngest and the oldest Eagle Scouts.
“This is special,” J. Scott Sommavilla, 17, of Valhalla, said to Charlie Pound, 90, of Armonk.

Sommavilla, a senior at West Lake High School, became an Eagle Scout in 2007, while Pound, who owns Aqua-Dredge Inc. in Armonk and is a former Westchester County Parks and Recreation commissioner, earned his badge in 1935 from Troop 14 in Yonkers.

“I attribute my successes, and I’ve had five careers, to my training in Scouting,” Pound said. He served in the Air Force in World War II,  worked in government for 20 years, and built his own house.

Sommavilla, who plans to study mechanical engineering in college, became an Eagle Scout 27 years after his father, J. Scott Sommavilla, 47,  got his badge from Troop 1, Hawthorne.

“We share this achievement and that makes it even more special, a highlight,” said the senior Sommavilla, a landscaping contractor.

(Read more about this in an upcoming Express publication)