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Westchester 16-Year-Old Is Changing Perceptions About Girls Westchester 16-Year-Old Is Changing Perceptions About Girls
Westchester 16-Year-Old Is Changing Perceptions About Girls Jothi Ramaswamy was having dinner on a school night, halfway through the 2015 school year when a conversation with her brother left her even hungrier. Her brother, Akshay, happened to mention that out of the 33 students in his C++ class—a computer science language—none were girls. Ramaswamy, a Yorktown resident, had been interested in computer science since sixth grade, but hearing something like that flustered her. She decided to research why but discovered the void wasn’t just present in his class, it was the entire Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. After doi…

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by James Miranda
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$16K Raised In Memory Of Bullied Westchester Teen Who Committed Suicide $16K Raised In Memory Of Bullied Westchester Teen Who Committed Suicide
$16K Raised In Memory Of Bullied Westchester Teen Who Committed Suicide A GoFundMe fundraising campaign has been started to honor the memory of a Westchester teenager who was bullied in high school and later took her own life. Nearly $17,000 has been raised in just two days on behalf of Julianna Carraturo, a former Tuckahoe High School student attending SUNY Cortland committed suicide last month after allegedly being bullied by fellow students. The proceeds raised through the GoFundMe campaign will be donated to The Kind Campaign, “an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-…

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by Zak Failla
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New Rochelle Wedding Ends At First Date Location -- 16 Handles New Rochelle Wedding Ends At First Date Location -- 16 Handles
New Rochelle Wedding Ends At First Date Location -- 16 Handles Four years after their first date at 16 Handles in New Rochelle, a couple decided to return to the place where it all began -- on their wedding day. Tiffany French and Anthony Goffe's sweet story resurfaced last week, when 16 Handles' corporate account posted it on social media. It was French's idea to have her first date with Goffe at 16 Handles. "Secretly I suggested it just in case this thing was a dud and I needed to get out quickly," she said.  "I didn’t want to have a whole meal to eat before I could leave." The pair ended up getting married down the street at t…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Forget The Hashtags! Westchester Instagrammer Gets 64.7K Followers Forget The Hashtags! Westchester Instagrammer Gets 64.7K Followers
Forget The Hashtags! Westchester Instagrammer Gets 64.7K Followers As someone who studied psychology in college, Natalie Alexa has a deep fascination with the human psyche. Which is why she puts a lot of thought into her social media brand and into Instagram in particular. Since joining in September 2012, the Somers native and self-proclaimed fitness addict has more than 64.7K followers as well as more than 7,000 Facebook friends.  The Upper West Sider, who's also a model, relied on Facebook initially to grow her brand -- she goes by Natalie Alexxa -- and then slowly branched out to Instagram.  "It really started out, and still is, a social experimen…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
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Elliot Is SPCA Pet Of The Week Elliot Is SPCA Pet Of The Week
Elliot Is SPCA Pet Of The Week BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. -- The SPCA is hoping someone will adopt Elliot. Elliot is 1.5 and recently spent time in a foster home, becoming housebroken. He enjoys people and dogs but not cats. "Elliot is initially timid but warms up nicely; he's a blast to play with in the yard," the SPCA said. For more information, e-mail trainer@spca914.org or call (914) 941-2896 ext. 24.

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by Sam Barron
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Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After New Father Dies Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After New Father Dies
Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After New Father Dies Paulie Packes was only 9 days old when his father, Anthony, a Stamford resident who grew up in Hawthorne, died of a brain tumor at the age of 36. A GoFundMe page has been launched for the Packes family. As of Friday morning, the page has raised $51,565 in four days from 325 people. Anthony was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2015. The tumor was surgically removed, and he was given a clean bill of health. He married Toni in October 2016, but his brain tumor returned last June. While the tumor was surgically removed, it eventually resurfaced and was deemed inoperable.  "Anthony n…

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by Sam Barron
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Hudson Valley Resident's New Album Pays Tribute To Famed Folk Musician Hudson Valley Resident's New Album Pays Tribute To Famed Folk Musician
Hudson Valley Resident's New Album Pays Tribute To Famed Folk Musician Andy Biskin is hoping people love the music of Alan Lomax as much as he does.Biskin and his band, 16 Tons, have launched a Kickstarter to help fund the recording of his band's new record, which features a collection of American folk songs previously collected by Lomax.  The campaign, which runs through Feb. 1, is hoping to raise $8,000 to help cover fees for musicians recording, editing, mixing, mastering and producing the CDs. As of Saturday morning, 51 people have already pledged $4,521. Biskin must raise the full amount or he receives nothing. The album will begin recording in January an…

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by Sam Barron
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Westchester Family Welcomes First Baby Of 2018 At Greenwich Hospital Westchester Family Welcomes First Baby Of 2018 At Greenwich Hospital
Westchester Family Welcomes First Baby Of 2018 At Greenwich Hospital GREENWICH, Conn. – It's a boy! Greenwich Hospital welcomed its first baby of 2018 just after midnight on Monday. Baby boy Mason Raphael Mederos made his debut Jan. 1 at 12:08 a.m., weighing in at 7 pound and 14 ounces. This is the second baby for parents Emily and TJ Mederos of Port Chester, N.Y., who were high school sweethearts at Port Chester High School. Mason joins big brother Matthew Aidan, who is 1 years old.  His dad, TJ Mederos, is a New York City police officer based in the Bronx, and Emily Mederos plans to be a stay-at-home mom. The family received a gift basket from the hospi…

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by Daily Voice
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Mamaroneck Rallies Around Families Displaced By Fire Mamaroneck Rallies Around Families Displaced By Fire
Mamaroneck Rallies Around Families Displaced By Fire MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- It has been the season of giving in Mamaroneck. The community has come together to help 25 people, eight families, who were forced out of their homes Friday after a fire broke out in an apartment building on Mount Pleasant Avenue. No one was hurt in the blaze but residents will not be able to return home until sometime next year Mayor Tom Murphy put out a plea on his Facebook page, seeking necessities like clothing and toiletries as the families stay at the Community Resource Center. Residents quickly responded. By Saturday morning, Murphy marveled at how quickly the co…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Westchester Soldier Receives Purple Heart From President Trump Westchester Soldier Receives Purple Heart From President Trump
Westchester Soldier Receives Purple Heart From President Trump A soldier from Northern Westchester who was wounded in Afghanistan last month was awarded a Purple Heart from President Donald Trump at Walter Reed Medical Center on Thursday. Victor Prato, a 25-year-old who graduated from Somers High School in 2011 and played football at Somers, has served in the Army for two years. He was injured by a car bomb. "One of the most powerful moments of my life watching @POTUS give the Purple Heart to this American Hero," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted. "Amazed by the strength and resilience of the men and women in our Armed Force…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After Father's Death Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After Father's Death
Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After Father's Death WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A GoFundMe page has been launched for the family of Miguel Gil, a White Plains resident, who took his own life last week. As of Saturday morning, the page has raised nearly $5,000 by 80 people over three days.  "It was so unexpected," his daughter Angie said. " We couldn't understand why he would do something like this to us. We never thought we would have to imagine a life without our father." Angie said they are hoping to raise enough money to send him back to his native Dominican Republican where he can be buried with his parents and siblings and…

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by Sam Barron
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29-Year-Old Westchester Composer Is Behind New Off-Broadway Musical 29-Year-Old Westchester Composer Is Behind New Off-Broadway Musical
29-Year-Old Westchester Composer Is Behind New Off-Broadway Musical Bonnie Gleicher is all about celebrating one's differences. And now, thanks to her show "Addy & Uno," her passion for showcasing what makes us each special is being recognized -- off-Broadway.  The musical, just signed for an extended run at Theatre Row -- it had been at the 14th Street Y Theater in New York City for most of September -- uses puppets and upbeat music to highlight the struggles of a child with autism as he competes in his school's math competition.  It also focuses on other children with (and without) varying disabilities (such as ADHD, visual, hearing and phy…

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by Jeanne Muchnick