Northern Westchester

Bedford officials said this morning they’ve found and fixed the water main break that cut off water service for residents in Bedford Hills and Katonah.

The town said in an e-mail announcement this morning that water pressure will be coming back for residents in the Bedford Consolidated Water District.

Bedford officials reiterated that until further notice residents should continue to boil their tap water for at least a minute before using it.

Town water crews spent hours on Monday just trying to find the source of the water main break.

Bedford officials placed several water tankers in town where residents could come and fill up their own containers amid the water outage. There are 2,137 homes and businesses in the water district, according to the Westchester County Health Department.

Due to a major water main break in the Bedford Consolidated Water District, the Westchester County Health Department is urging residents in Katonah and Bedford Hills to boil their water until further notice.

The health department said in a news release that the water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before drinking and before using in food preparation.

The department said in its announcement that the boil water advisory was being issued as a precaution to protect against possible contamination caused by ground water infiltration into the water mains.

Supervisor Lee Roberts said Monday afternoon that town workers spent hours trying to find the location of the water main break.

The health department notice, sent just before 6 p.m., said that the water district still hadn’t located the break, which is sapping water pressure from residents who receive municipal water in the hamlets of Bedford Hills and Katonah.

The termination of Anthony Rotunno, the newly hired  principal of Pleasantville High School who was fired by district officials earler this month, will be effective at the end of business day Sept. 7

Last week, the district announced the appointment of an interim prinicpal:

The Board of Education approved the appointment of Dr. Robert
Hendrickson as Interim High School Principal for the 2010-2011 school
year at a special public meeting held on August 24. Dr. Hendrickson
retired from the New York State public school system in 2006 after
thirty-six years of service, including eight years (1998-2006) as principal
of Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School in the Croton-Harmon
School District. Since then, he has been Interim Principal at Alexander
Hamilton Junior/Senior High School (Elmsford), Fox Lane High
School (Bedford), and Lincoln Avenue Elementary School (Pearl
River). Dr. Hendrickson was interviewed by members of the Board of
Education and administrators, a committee of community members,
and a committee of High School staff members and was vetted by a professional background check service prior to his appointment

A new group, Sharing Work which brings fresh produce to seniors citizens in and around Somers was profiled in this Sunday’s Express.

Founder Wendy Webb-Weber of Somers said so far at least 263 baskets filled with fresh vegetables and fruits have been given to local families since the group began July 15. Read more about this group in the Express story.

Webb-Weber had scheduled a planning meeting of group members and others on Tuesday, but told us this morning that she has had to cancel.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact  Webb-Weber directly at 914-522-5005 or e-mail her at webcoinc@aol.com.

She also seeks donations of reusable mesh bags to hold the produce.

Town water department workers are trying to track down the location of a water main break that is sapping away water pressure for residents in the Bedford Consolidated Water District in Bedford Hills and Katonah.

“They’ve been searching for hours,” Supervisor Lee Roberts said this afternoon.

The problem, Roberts said, is the town hasn’t been able to find a specific spot with the tell-tale signs of a water main break, such as ponding.

The town pool in Kaotnah was shut down because there’s no water pressure there, the supervisor said.

The town said in an e-mail alert today that the first reports about a main break started coming in early this morning.

The town said if residents see signs of water surfacing that they contact the Bedford Water Department at 914-666-7855.

“We’re getting water from the prison (in Bedford Hills) and Mount Kisco, but it’s imperative we find the break,” Roberts said.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., discussed the economy, unemployment, dysfunction in Albany and Washington, health care, war, housing and the proposed cultural center and mosque in lower Manhattan, in an Editorial Spotlight interview Thursday. You’ll find the entire interview at www.lohud.com/editorialspotlight; click “on demand” and select the video from the menu.

Here are some selected highlights from our interview.

Gillibrand on government transparency:

The Journal News and LoHud.com wish to hear from candidates vying in local Westchester, Rockland and Putnam races in September and November — including for the state Legislature but excluding statewide and federal offices.

Please send us an e-mail including your full name, home address, daytime phone number and an active e-mail address to elections@lohud.com. In both the subject line and body of the e-mail, be sure to indicate which office you are vying for. The information will be used by our news and opinion staffs to contact and correspond with candidates. Additionally, the e-mail address will be used to send candidates a questionnaire that will form the basis of an online guide for voters.

Trump National’s John Guyton of Rye, looks over the 18th green as his brother Nick Guyton offers advice on how to play his putt during the final round of the 95th Met Open Championship at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale (L.I.) Aug. 26, 2010. Nick flew up from Raleigh , North Carolina to caddie for his brother who tied for 16th place. View a gallery of photos from the Met Open at Bethpage Black and read more about the tournament on Golf Writer Mike Dougherty’s Lohud Golf blog at LoHud.com.

The baker and founder of a gluten-free bakery in Briarcliff will be the featured chef and instructor at a cooking class next month at Kitch-n-Kaffe in Mahopac.

Karen Miller of Three Dogs Bakery will demonstrate how to make gluten-free and wheat-free baked goods including Rainbow Cookies and S’mores. Her bakery has a wide selection of freshly baked scones, breads, muffins and cakes as well as packaged gluten-free items like pasta and crackers.  Miller will be bringing some breads and sweets for tasting.

Three Dogs Bakery is at 510 N. State Road and it is open Tuesday through Saturday.

The class is from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 20 at Kitch-n-Kaffe, 985 Route 6 in Mahopac (in the Kmart shopping center). Cost is $30. To register e-mail kitch-n-kaffe@comcast.net or call 845-621-3535. The Kitchenware and Coffee Bar also has a shop on Route 117 in Bedford Hills, but cooking classes are held in Mahopac.

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The Chappaqua Board of Education has set a meeting for Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Horace Greeley Academic Commons to interview two firms that conduct superintendent searches. The district currently has an interim superintendent, John Chambers, and is searching for a permanent replacement.

During the interviews there will be time for questions from the audience. The schedule is:

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Interview with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates

8:15 – 9:15 p.m. Interview with J.A.Roy & Associates

9:15 – 10:00 p.m. Questions & Comments

Information on the search is on a special page on the district web site.