Westchester BFF's Compete On 'Fear Factor' Westchester BFF's Compete On 'Fear Factor'
Westchester BFF's Compete On 'Fear Factor' WESTCHESTER COUNTY,  N.Y. -- Two courageous Westchesrites are competing in a "Fear Factor" episode entitled “Once Bitten, Twice Trapped.” ' The show airs Tuesday, June 13 at 10 p.m.on MTV. Twenty-three--year-old Gabriela Fuhr, a feng shui consultant from Thornwood and her 24-year-old best friend, Danielle Hrotko, an internet startup associate from Hawthorne, will be challenged to get covered in Amazon creatures and conquer a mental mousetrap game.  In order to win $50,000, they must first face being dragged to the bottom of a deep water tank. They'll also have to deal with stunt…
PGA CEO, Bedford Native Profiled In Westchester Magazine PGA CEO, Bedford Native Profiled In Westchester Magazine
PGA CEO, Bedford Native Profiled In Westchester Magazine Pete Bevacqua's rise from caddie to CEO of the PGA of America was featured in the June issue of Westchester Magazine. Bevacqua's love affair with golf began when he was 10 and his dad dropped him off at Bedford Golf and Tennis, he told Westchester Magazine. He worked there every summer through high school. After becoming a lawyer, he landed a position with the USGA as Chief Business Officer and was the first managing director of the US Open. He was hired as CEO of PGA of America in 2012, leading an organization of 28,000 golfers and helping to stage some of the sport's biggest events. To r…
Community Rallies Around Yorktown Mom Battling Ovarian Cancer Community Rallies Around Yorktown Mom Battling Ovarian Cancer
Community Rallies Around Yorktown Mom Battling Ovarian Cancer YORKTOWN, N.Y. -- Rosemarie Allouche-Gunning has always been a fierce advocate for her children. Now is she is in the fight of her life. Allouche-Gunning, who has lived in Yorktown with her family for two years, was recently diagnosed with Stage Four Ovarian Cancer. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for her mounting medical bills. The money raised will go directly to the family. As of Tuesday afternoon, $4,750 has been raised from 30 people over six days.  Allouche-Gunning is married to Peter and they have two children, Jonathan and Thomas.  Jonathan was diagnosed with …
Westchester Resident Arranged Iconic U2 Performance 30 Years Ago Westchester Resident Arranged Iconic U2 Performance 30 Years Ago
Westchester Resident Arranged Iconic U2 Performance 30 Years Ago GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- In 1987, Dennis Bell helped U2 find what they were looking for. Bell, a Greenburgh resident, put together a gospel version of the band's hit single "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," from their iconic album, "The Joshua Tree." Bell and his New Voices of Freedom Choir performed the song with U2 at Madison Square Garden in September 1987. The performance made it onto the album "Rattle and Hum," and on the band's recent re-release of "The Joshua Tree," on iTunes. U2's record label met with Bell and when they found out he w…
Nicky Is SPCA Pet Of The Week Nicky Is SPCA Pet Of The Week
Nicky Is SPCA Pet Of The Week BRIARCLIFF, N.Y. -- Nicky is looking for a good home. The SPCA is hoping someone will adopt Nicky, who has a lot of energy. Nicky is still learning his manners and how not to be so jumpy, the SPCA said. He would do best in an adult home with people willing to continue his training and he gets along well with other dogs, the SPCA said. For more information, e-mail trainer@spca914.org.
Cockatiel Goes Missing In Mount Kisco Cockatiel Goes Missing In Mount Kisco
Cockatiel Goes Missing In Mount Kisco Volunteers in Westchester County are hoping for the community’s assistance as they attempt to reunite a lost cockatiel with its family. Earlier this week, members of the Lost PETS of Westchester County Facebook group posted an alert for a missing cockatiel in Mount Kisco that was reported on Monday. The bird has light colored feathers with a gray wing and red cheeks. Anyone with information regarding the missing cockatiel or its family can contact Tom at (914) 384-0142 or reach out online.
Love, Greed & Dictatorship Are Headlined In New Novel By Westchester Author Love, Greed & Dictatorship Are Headlined In New Novel By Westchester Author
Love, Greed & Dictatorship Are Headlined In New Novel By Westchester Author SCARSDALE, N.Y. -- What happens in the land of samba, Carnival and Bossa Nova when a brutal dictatorship takes over?  If you're looking for a summer read, look no further than "Days of Bossa Nova," a family saga about love, music and greed, set in São Paulo. Scarsdale Author Ines Rodrigues grew up in the South American city and worked as a journalist there before landing in New York years ago. Now, her first novel, inspired by her native home, is being published Saturday, May 27 by Black Opal Books. Rodrigues teaches Creative Writing at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence Co…
Yorktown Student Overcomes Cancer, Gets College Degree Yorktown Student Overcomes Cancer, Gets College Degree
Yorktown Student Overcomes Cancer, Gets College Degree YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. -- A Yorktown Heights student who battled cancer recently received her college diploma.Diana Pernicano was one of 618 students who received their diplomas at the Mount Saint Mary College Commencement in Newburgh on Saturday almost four years after she was diagnosed with cancer. Pernicano found a lump in her neck during a hands-on lesson in a nursing class that she credits with saving her life. She began treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma and is now cancer free.  “They say it takes a village, and it took the help of a lot of people to get me well enough to continue at th…
Bedford Fire Chief Comes To Aid Of 'Snappy' Pedestrian Bedford Fire Chief Comes To Aid Of 'Snappy' Pedestrian
Bedford Fire Chief Comes To Aid Of 'Snappy' Pedestrian BEDFORD, N.Y. -- Bedford Fire Chief Shawn Carmody had to stop traffic for a little while Friday on Baldwin Road so a very "snapping" turtle could cross the road. Luckily, the chief, along with other firefighters were not on a call at the time, because it took the turtle a little while to cross the road, and he was so snappy no one was going to pick him up.
Hudson Valley Girl Busts A Move On 'Ellen' Hudson Valley Girl Busts A Move On 'Ellen'
Hudson Valley Girl Busts A Move On 'Ellen' Bianca Busa, an 8-year-old Hudson Valley resident, loves to dance, no matter what the stage. Busa, of Putnam Valley, performed on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Monday, dancing to Kendrick Lamar's song "Humble." "I started dancing since I was two and I remember when my sister was four years old, I used to always watch her dance and I used to always do her dance on the side with her," Busa said. Busa told DeGeneres that she dances six days a week and thinks of happy things when she dances...except for when she gets into her "fierce" mode. "When I ge…
Briarcliff Boy Is A Pokemon Whiz Kid Briarcliff Boy Is A Pokemon Whiz Kid
Briarcliff Boy Is A Pokemon Whiz Kid BRIARCLIFF, N.Y. -- When it comes to playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game, Sebastian Male-Diaz is a child prodigy.Male-Diaz,  a 10-year-old who lives in Briarcliff and is in 5th grade, is ranked 11th  in the country for his age group, regularly traveling across the country competing in tournaments.  He has been invited to compete in tournaments in Australia. He recently finished in 2nd at a tournament in Virginia and last weekend competed at a tournament in Toronto. In Pokemon, players use their Pokemon to battle their opponent with the goal of winning knocking out their opponents cards.  …
Westchester Soldier Deployed In East Africa Westchester Soldier Deployed In East Africa
Westchester Soldier Deployed In East Africa OSSINING, N.Y. -- Drew Young, who graduated from Ossining High School, has served his country in the Army for more than 30 years. Young is currently deployed in East Africa about 100 miles from Somalia. This is Young's sixth combat deployment. He was recently awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his service as a Senior Counterintelligence Officer in the Horn of Africa.  Young got commissioned into ROTC after graduating from Ossining. He served in the Persian Gulf War and has been to Iraq three times and Afghanistan twice. This is his second deployment to Africa.  "I was d…