Week In Review

Rye Patch began the week with a piece that has remained one of our most popular stories. Rebecca Newman, a 13-year-old student at Blind Brook Middle School, is one of 350 in the world suffering from familial dysautonomia, a rare genetic disorder affecting the sensory and nervous systems attributed to a recessive gene only carried by those of Jewish heritage. Rebecca has a spirit that has rallied the community around her family. This week, the Newman family will co-chair the 7th annual Tour de Foliage, a cycle tour that will raise money and awareness for the disease. Many of their Rye Brook neighbors and friends will participate, so we're sure the event will be a resounding success. 

We also had a few police stories this week. On Monday, Rye Brook Police announced that they had arrested a Queens man for tampering with the ATM at the Chase Bank in Rye Ridge Shopping Center. The man, 31-year-old Razvan Apostol, is being charged with criminal possession of forgery devices. Police are urging anyone who used that ATM to monitor their accounts and report any suspicious activity.

We also published the police blotters this week. In Rye, there were a few unusual incidents, including vandalism via dog excrement. A resident of Hughes Avenue told police that dog feces was smeared on not only her car, but also the roof of her house. Whoever committed the offense must have been pretty determined.

The Rye Brook Police blotter featured incidents like an elderly man who had a little bit too much cognac and was charged with a DWI; two New York City men re-coding credit cards in an attempt to make fraudulent charges at CVS; and a hit and run that gave Rye Brook's coyote trapper an easy catch.

We also did a story this week on the dog situation at Rye Town Park. Dog owners and their counterparts have to coexist at the park, but some people are arguing that some owners leave their dogs unleashed. However, groups like the Dog Friends of Rye Town Park say its members help to ensure the cleanliness of the park and do their best to self-police. 

One of my favorites this week was Peter's "Wry Observations" column. His comic take on the proposed water rate increase had me in stitches. United Water has said that the additional revenue generated from the hike will go toward repairing inefficiencies in its system, such as the 28 percent loss of water it experiences annually. What's Peter's suggestion for dealing with this inefficiency?:  "For those of you worried about the rate hike? Just find out where that 28 percent is going. If you can scoop up some of it and tote it home, it may help you defray costs."

We've covered lots more this weekend, so feel free to search the site for other engaging stories from the past week. Rye Patch will be your source for everything that is happening in the Rye area, from local government and school board meetings to sports and arts and entertainment.

We'll be doing a "Week in Review" every Sunday, so if you missed anything during the week, we've got you covered.