Editor's Notebook: Week in Review

Our stories this week were a mix of breaking news, local government and school board meetings, sports and articles about volunteer efforts.

We started the week with a story about pedestrian safety in Rye. The city council discussed the issue at its most recent meeting, debating whether it should re-examine its capitol improvement plan to prioritize projects most closely related to pedestrian safety. The issue has gained a lot of traction in the wake the second traffic accident involving a child on Midland Avenue and Palisades Road. The council will discuss pedestrian safety at its meeting Wednesday in what is sure to be an interesting--and likely, heated--discussion.

Mayor French even made an appearance at the school board meeting Wednesday to tell board members that the city is working on traffic improvements. French said the city is making improvements on Liberty Avenue and is currently in the process of receiving bids for work on speed indicators, sidewalks and a crosswalk. He said one of the council's main priorities is to ensure children in Rye are safe.

We also had local government and school board stories. On Monday, the Blind Brook school board had a presentation about future school enrollment. Joan Townley, of Western Suffolk  Board of Cooperative Educational Services, told board members that the Blind Brook School District's overall enrollment would decrease by more than 120 students over the next 10 years. Townley said the ongoing housing crisis would be a factor in school enrollment. She presented data which showed that the area surrounding the school district, which includes both Rye Brook and Port Chester, had plummeting home sales. However, some board members found Townley's data a bit questionable.

We also covered the village board meeting in Rye Brook. The board discussed Rye Brook's financials, including the auditors' report and an update on incoming revenues. Because of the economy, incoming revenues for mortgage tax payments and interest earnings were lower than expected. The village has a total of nearly $39 million in assets and more than $9 million in liabilities. Budget season is just around the corner, so we're sure the village board will be talking money again--and we'll be there to cover it. 

We also had breaking news this week. On Tuesday, a 53-foot trailer got stuck under the Purchase Street Bridge. The driver, who was from Calfornia, did not see the 10 foot 7 inch clearance sign near the bridge's entrance. If he had seen the sign and done the math, he would have known that his nearly 14 foot tall truck had no chance of passing under the bridge.

Tragically, we also had a breaking news story about a . The story was especially difficult for Patch to cover, because it involved one of our contributors, Judy Croughan, who is George's wife. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Croughan family in this difficult time. A fund has been set up for the Croughan's three boys, so we'll have further information on donating to the fund as soon as those details become available.

We also covered sports this week. The Garnets scored a shutout victory against Somers/North Salem, while the Blind Brook Lady Trojans lost by 14 to the Westlake Wildcats.  The Blind Brook Boys team won against Westlake in a blowout, 27-point victory.

We also had a couple of stories about volunteering efforts. Kids with Sole, an organization based in Rye Neck, .

Local organizations have also joined the relief efforts in Haiti, including the Resource Foundation in nearby Larchmont. This week, the Rye Rotary Club announced it was collecting donations, as well. Click both links to find out how you can help these organizations' earthquake relief efforts.

We've covered lots more, 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 city and town of Rye---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.