W-MTM: More Than Music The Radio You Watch. Debuts This Weekend

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VARIETY. By John F. Bailey. In Rehearsal at “The Roch”. Rochambeau School. January 21, 2003: The Fort Hill Players will be trying out a January show for the first time this week, premiering another of their “original musicals,” More Than Music with airtime at 8 PM on Friday and Saturday nights, January 24 and 25 at “The Rock,” Rochambeau School, 21 Fischer Avenue White Plains. The original book, is basically a radio show you watch, reminiscent of the old time live radio broadcasts by Bing Crosby and Jack Benny, with a not of nostalgia for the old time radio shows.



“ON THE AIR:” Mark Snyder, the White Plains Pianoman, The classic brunette Patti Rome, and Incendiary Blonde, Linda Hendrick with the dulcet tones of Jim Brownold create old time radio. Here they create “The Adventures of Madame X”. Show Premiers Friday at 8 at Rochambeau School White Plains. Tickets are $14, $12 for Seniors, $6 for children. Call 421-0008, or go to www.forthillplayers.com to purchase tickets.
Photo by WPCNR Entertainment


It was conceived as a nightclub act by the Fort Hill Players’ ageless piano man, Mark Snyder, and written by talented professional announcer, Jim Braunold with Snyder beginning last August.

The gimmick of More Than Music is original radio shows, dreamed up by Mr. Brownold and Mr. Snyder, interspersed with songs of the middle three decades of the Twentieth Century .



“SINCERELY,” You’ll believe The McGuire Sisters have come back when stylish songtresses Patti Rome and Linda Hendrick team with Jim Brownold.
Photo by WPCNR Entertainment


You’ll go back to a time when radio was king of the airwaves, hear songs performed by those classy songbirds, the original brunette, Patti Rome and the new incendiary blonde, Linda Hendrick. Youngsters and oldsters alike will get to see how “oldtime radio” was created live on stage, without the aid of tape, just the way it was when singers and actors had one take to reach America coast-to-coast.

The Serials. The Music. The Commercials

Braunhold , working with Snyder, and the ladies has created wonderful, reverent serials with scripts that recall the great radio adventures of the past.

You will thrill to The Adventures of Madame X featuring the exploits of All-American Lieutenant Terry Goodwill of the U.S. Air Force, and the renowned psychic Ophelia Paine. You will be on the case with that hardboiled private eye, Dick Shorts and Wanda Mellons, and the tear-jerker soap opera, The Lying Lips of Laura Languine.

In between, serving as segues will be wonderful commercials and jingles, delivered with the dulcet tones of Jim Brownold who actually does voiceovers in his day job. Jingles such as “Rheingold, the Extra Dry Beer,” when song by the versatile distaff duo of Rome and Hendrick.



“STANDING ON THE CORNER,” Jim Brownold, accompanied by Mark Snyder recreates the classic 50s leading man/crooner style on Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls Go By.
Photo by WPCNR Entertainment


WPCNR caught the live rehearsal past week, and WPCNR’s “Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway Scribe, Walter Windshield” was wowed by the concept. The audience of More Than Music is treated to a radio program in progress, performed before you, the studio audience.

You watch the scripts read, the shows within a show staged, the clever serials and programs delivered with the actors and actors behind music stands in an old time radio studio.

Sound effects are executed live to create the “theatre of the air.” The programs are linked with station breaks, and the quartet’s recreation of original and created radio commercials of the 40s, 50s and 60s, are a fascinating history of advertising. (That sold products, I might add.)

Shows Within a Show, and All That Music

One of the double pleasures of MTM is you get to watch and hear the two versatile actresses turned songbirds, Patti Rome and Linda Hendrick , helped out by the debonair baritone, Mr. Brownold in intriguing original arrangements of great songs from Big Band to the Big Beat. More Than Music does a devasting parody of American Bandstand, featuring Dina Giordano and the City Center Dancers, and Dick Clark’s old great bit, The Record Review Board. It will give todays’ teens a glimpse of their parents’ childhood.

In previews, your “Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway Insider” heard the trio doing, Standing on the Corner and on Radio WVOX Saturday morning, they did Sincerely catching all the nuances of the styles of those songs just right. Their version of Sincerely, with some original doo-wopping by Mr. Brownold on the radio Saturday morning was simply great.

Charischak: January tryout.

This is the third “original musical with songs you know” that White Plains’ own Fort Hill Players has produced. They did Musical Memories two years ago, and Harmony on the Sea last season. The beauty of these shows is they present a retrospective of musical eras and great songs for those who not only wish to remember them, but also exposing to the great music of America to the young of today. And we’re talking 40 and 30-somethings who have never heard the songs of Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Lieber & Stroller, Jimmy Van Heusen, Rodgers and Hammerstein, big bands, ballads, the original music of America.

This is the first time in three years that Fort Hill Players has scheduled a January show, according to Joan Charischak, and when the quartet pushed for the open January slot, she decided to try them out to see if a January show could once again be successful.

4 Talents Come Together

Linda Hendrick and Mark Snyder had worked together in Musical Memories, the first Fort Hill original musical revue, and Patti Rome and Jim Brownold had worked together in Harmony on the Sea last year. Last Spring, Mark, a former resident of White Plains and actor for many years with the Fort Hill Players in the 1960s, thought the two ladies, with he, as accompaniest, and Jim Brownold’s versatile voice could come together for a great act.



THE PRODUCERS: Jim Brownold created the mock radio shows and the book. Mark Snyder arranged and plays the songs. The Dina Giordano City Center Dancers cavort to The Twist on stage.
Photo by WPCNR Entertainment


Last August, he and Jim started brainstorming an act, thinking of songs that would suit the ladies’ talents, and this Friday that act hits the footlights.

Brownold and Snyder report the writing of the bits, entirely credited to Mr. Brownold’s pen, the arrangements created by Snyder and the concept, took untold hours reworking and rewriting.



THE LADIES OF MORE THAN MUSIC: Patti Rome, left, and Linda Hendrick harmonize on My Beer is Rheingold one of the many old radio commericals they reprise.

Photo by WPCNR Entertainment


Then came the rehearsing with the ladies mostly at Patti Rome’s home in West Harrison, who we are told makes great cakes. She sings real nice, too, her vibrant and steady contralto harmonizing and supporting Ms. Hendrick’s perky soprano.

The two ladies have a talent for superb mimicry with respect of different vocal groups’ styles of the 40s and 50s. You will hear Patti and Linda bring the styles of the McGuire Sisters live again on Sincerely,. They have The Chordette’s contrapuntal style just right on Mr. Sandman. Mr. Brownhold joins them with some very hip doo-woop harmonies, while holding his own on such baritone standbys of the 50s, as Standing on the Corner The arrangements for just piano and the three voices are truly flights of fantasy created by Mr. Snyder, the “Hoagy Carmichael of White Plains.”

On her day job, Ms. Rome is President of Empire Avionics at Westchester County Airport. Ms. Henrick is an ordained minister and a Reiki Master and massage therapist. Mr. Brownold does commercials for a living. Mr. Snyder is a music teacher and tennis instructor.

More Than Music WPCNR understands is more than the name of a show, it is the name of this new group’s act, that adds original skits and comedy to oldies repertoire, taking you giant steps beyond another group of the past, Manhattan Transfer, whom some of you may remember.

Friday and Saturday nights promise original entertainment, a little bit of history, a lot of nostalgia, combining a little bit of old Bob and Ray, two beautiful women with a lot of versatility.

Children of all ages will gain an appreciation of culture of those years and the music of the last century in the bargain. The debuting quartet hopes More Than Music is the start of something big.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 914-421-0008, or going to the Players’ website at www.forthillplayers.com.

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The Real Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Has Been Forgotten.

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WPCNR News Comment. By John F. Bailey. January 19,2003: Millions in the streets in Washington this weekend, protesting and urging America not to start a war with Iraq. Would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., have felt at home? I am sure he would be in the forefront, but remembering him, I think he would have another message to get across to us beyond the “no war” message.

He would say there are still wars to be fought at home that America is losing, and has been losing for sometime.

This morning there were two celebrations of Dr. King’s memory at the County Center and at the Crowne Plaza. I did not go because the leaders who went to these functions, members of all the races, creeds, income levels, and power positions were just doing what is always done on Dr. Martin Luther King Day. They celebrate Dr. King’s peaceful focus on the issue of segregation in the 1960s. This is very nice. It makes all who participate feel good. That they have “done the right thing.”

Actually these celebrations are a way out of doing something about the real wars Dr. King would have been fighting today.

The last thing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted to do was to make people feel good. He wanted to wake you up. Get in your face. Show you the real picture. He did not go gently into the morning. He made you pay attention. By showing you what was wrong by demonstrating segregation in action. Getting arrested. Putting himself out there.

Who does that today about matters that really matter?

In my opinion, celebrating Dr. King’s accomplishments is only part of Dr. King’s legacy. What I took from Dr. King, was that this man had the courage to point out wrongs. To work to expose those wrongs continually. He could not avert his head. He did not play politics.

He did not associate with fools. He did not offer respect to persons just because it was politically correct. He did not tolerate the message of hate, no matter who was preaching it: Ku Klux Klan or a Black leader.

It was to Dr. King’s credit that he “kept his eye on the prize.” He did not compromise. What would Dr. King say to the leaders of today?

I believe he would look around with that great, piercing gaze of his and ask, what have the leaders of the concerned and the powerful and the diverse minorities today done for their people to focus attention on what is wrong? And fix it?

Have they lead marches against illegal housing, for example? No.

Only homeowners in neighborhoods occasionally complain about illegal housing, and so far only one councilman in four years has attempted to even quantify the illegal housing growth.

Where are the minority leaders whose people are most exploited on these issues? Why does it take a Glen Hockley to focus on their problem?

Have the community leaders of underachieving minorities demanded more attention to the minority achievement gap? No, it took a superintendent search to focus in on that problem, and arouse the minority community to make this a strong issue.

African-American and Hispanic leaders should be out there, and should have been out there in the forefront to work hand-in-hand with the school district to bridge this gap. Timothy Connors, the new Superintendent of Schools is reaching out to the communities to identify, quantify, and see what approaches work and do not work. But, why weren’t the communities speaking out more strongly five years ago?

Has there been a grassroots movement to educate the underprivileged to the computer revolution? No it took Mayor Delfino’s personal experience and long concern about education of the underprivileged to invent the Digital Divide labs, and open five in 4 years in the city, because he wanted to. The Digital Divide Labs are perhaps the Mayor’s most understated but meaningful achievement.

Here is what I believe Dr. King would say to us today: We must make a difference in our own cities and towns. We must look inward, and when we see wrong things, work to fix them. Expose ourselves to be politically incorrect. Put ourselves at a little risk, to reputation, to alienating friends who may not agree with us. Be brave.

As we get older we get too comfortable. Too much to lose. Too afraid to make a difference.

That was what made Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. different. He was not afraid.

Concerned Citizens for Open Space, essentially a group of well-meaning citizens, has been the most active White Plains protest group of the last 15 years, and what galvanizes them? A tract of land owned by someone else. They are passionate, committed.

Meanwhile, there are more important issues everyone should tackle: illegal housing has been a tolerated cottage industry in White Plains. Homelessness has not been solved because the victims are just housed. Minority youth are routinely marched off to do jail time in their teens, when white, well-connected teens commit serious crimes and get off with very light sentences.

Dr. King, you can be sure would not tolerate the homelessness problem we have today.
I think he would be thundering about the minority achievement gap, calling it just as much segregationist as Selma in the ‘60s, can’t you just hear him?

Where are those voices today in White Plains? Why aren’t there more?

There are hundreds of organizations dealing with the victims of the problems and helping, to be sure, but no one is out there attacking the root causes that create the problems.

I think this is the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Many leaders today are able to live with the status quo because things are better, and it is comfortable for them to do so and pat themselves on the back every year on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Dr. King was unable to live personally with the status quo. He did something about it and was committed to change. No one could talk him out of it.

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Adam In Albany: Bradley Shocked at 41% Tuition Hike

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WPCNR ADAM IN ALBANY. Weekly report by Assemblyperson Adam Bradley of the 89th. January 17, 2003: Assemblyman Adam Bradley (D-White Plains) today slammed the governor controlled State University of New York’s Board of Trustees’ proposal to increase tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities by 41 percent – and pledged to fight the increase in the Assembly.

This gigantic tuition hike is even worse than we expected,” Bradley said. “The governor’s appointees on the Board of Trustees are attempting to balance the state’s fiscal troubles on the backs of students and Westchester families.”

Trustees stunned many on Friday when they announced a plan to hike tuition costs by 41 percent, or $1,400 a year for New York undergraduate students. The proposed increase would take effect this fall.

The total college cost for a full-time residential SUNY Purchase student – including tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees – is already $11,203. The Trustees have also recently approved increasing tuition at most of the state’s community colleges.

“If we want to prepare our kids for the future and strengthen New York’s weakened economy, we must make higher education affordable and accessible for all students,” Bradley said. “We are depriving a higher education to those who need and deserve it the most. This is essentially a tax on those who can least afford it. That’s why I will continue to fight this ill-conceived increase.”

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Delgado, Hockley Summoned to Court to Discuss the Denoument

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WPCNR COURTS AND TORTS TRANSCRIPT. From Larry Delgado. January 16, 2003: Larry Delgado has received a communication from Judge Francis Nicolai to appear in New York Supreme Court, the Ninth Judicial District for a Preliminary Conference in one week at the Westchester County Court Building.

According to Mr. Delgado’s communication to WPCNR: “John, We have received a letter from the Court advising us of a Preliminary Conference with Judge Nicolai on January 23, 2003, at 10:00 am, in Courtroom 800.”

The matters that might be covered in the Preliminary Conference could be the contestants’ suggestions for a remedy to the quo warranto procedure. Judge Nicolai apparently, has been selected to handle the court action, called for by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in Spitzer’s call to bring a quo warranto action in the jammed District 18 election case.

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Boom Continues: Biddle to Expand Pavilion, Consider Properties in Downtown.

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. January 16, 2003: The urbane, upbeat President and COO of White Plains newest bigtime player, Urstadt Biddle Properties, told the Westchester County Board of Realtors Commercial & Investment Division, his aggressive, profit-oriented organization liked the retail mix of the Westchester Pavilion, and was planning to add a second floor above Office Max and Borders and is looking for tenants before executing the expansion. The garage will be turned into paid parking.



NEW MAN IN THE DOWNTOWN:Willing Biddle, making his media debut in White Plains, said his company is bullish on Westchester County, looking to acquire more properties and did not rule out White Plains properties along Mamaroneck Avenue, if ample parking was developed.
PHOTO BY WPCNR BUSINESS

The confident, easygoing retail leader, provided evidence that the White Plains building boom is already having its effect Thursday morning at the first breakfast meeting of the WCBR Commercial & Investment Division.

Biddle said , when asked if the City Center project had played a role in attracting Urstadt Biddle to purchase the Westchester Pavilion in December, Biddle said : “Yes, very much so. Retail wants to be where other retailers are at. We were attracted by the new Fortunoff (across from the Westchester Pavilion property), The Westchester, and we like the idea of all the new residential downtown.”

The Little Guys Considered.

Asked by WPCNR, if his company would consider acquiring other properties in White Plains, Biddle said he was looking for properties the company could acquire for $5MM and up, which was the minimum required, he felt “to make it a good investment for us.” Considering that the company paid $39.9 Million for the Westchester Pavilion, this would indicate that Urstadt Biddle would not rule out putting together a parcel of different properties. Asked if they might consider this, Mr. Biddle said they usually do not consider “street retail,” and that a lot depended on the parking available in the White Plains downtown for such a strategy to be considered.



HAVE VISION. WILL MAKEOVER: Biddle was bullish on White Plains, saying that he was aware rents had gone up considerably on properties lining the Mamaroneck Avenue corridor in the White Plains downtown, due to the building boom, sparked by the Cappeli City Center, the South Tower of which is shown at twilight Thursday night in the center of this picture. Biddle said the ‘boom” made downtown properties worth considering.
Photo by WPCNR Business


He was noncommittal on the specific attractiveness of the Mamaroneck Avenue strip from Main to Martine. Again, saying his company usually purchased existing shopping centers, not “street retail.”

All Good Things Considered.

Significantly, earlier in his slide-enhanced, informal and chock-full-of-message talk, he did not rule out that his eye could be caught by a certain kind of “street property.”



“MAKEOVER ARTIST:” Willing Biddle noted that his company had purchased a street block in the center of downtown Ridgefield, Connecticut from an individual that had vacancies similar to some properties in White Plains. He said Urstadt Biddle acquired the block, redesigned it, signed tenants and made over the block very successfully.
Photo by WPCNR BUSINESS


Westchester Pavilion to Expand. Paid Parking Coming.

Biddle, queried on the company’s plans for their newly acquired Westchester Pavilion, said their immediate plans were to refurbish the Pavilion parking garage to make it more attractive. He said the company would install paid parking to discourage freeloaders using the Pavilion garage to park for The Westchester, office buildings and other destinations in the area.

He said this would take the form of a parking validation system by retailers, with the first 30 minutes possibly free. He also said they would lightly refurbish the paneling on the garage facing the new Fortunoff side of the garage. “The garage is tired. It needs refurbishing, sprucing up,” Biddle remarked, saying the company hoped to expand the garage perhaps in the back of Outback Steakhouse.



THE WHITE PLAINS PAVILION ON SOUTH BROADWAY: Willing Biddle is looking at Another Floor over Office Max, Borders.
Photo by WPCNR Business


Biddle said the company is shopping for tenants who would occupy, and as of yet, mythical second floor of the Pavilion, to be built over the Office Max-Borders floor. He said at this point, they were looking at adding another discount retailer to fit the “basic needs” retail that currently exists at the Pavilion: McDonald’s, Office Max, Toys R Us, The Sports Authority, and Borders.

Biddle told WPCNR they would only come to the city when they had a tenant for the proposed second floor, and he judged that it would take 4 to 5 months before he would have a plan for the city to review. He said additional parking could be added to the existing deck in back of Office Max, and the roof of the newly proposed floor.



BRING US YOUR PROFITABLE AND TIRED PROPERTIES: Mr. Biddle began his talk to the realtors theming it as explaining how “we can make money together.” He said he invited them to acquaint him with properties throughout Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and The Bronx that the company might acquire.
Photo by WPCNR BUSINESS


The personable Mr. Biddle said his company uses an instrument he calls a down REIT that makes selling to Urstadt Biddle Properties, more tax-attractive to owners than paying outright cash by protecting them from the capital gains tax.

He said his acquisition of Arcadia Shopping Center in Ossining, was executed in this manner, resulting in excellent asset protection for the owner. The instrument, he said is explained in more detail on the company’s website, www.ubproperties.com.

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Anti-Iraq War Protest Scheduled for Area

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WPCNR Stars And Stripes. By Dave Finucane and Nick Mottern. January 16, 2003:An anti-war rally will be held Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003 at 11 a.m. at Camp Smith, near Annsville Circle on Route 9 in Peekskill. The rally will focus on the casualties on all sides in the continuing Iraq War and those anticipated from the escalation of the war now under preparation.

People are asked to gather at Annsville Circle at 11 a.m. There is parking at various points off the circle. Speakers will address the casualties issue and then a march will be held to Camp Smith, just north of the Circle on road to the Bear Mountain Bridge. After the march, a caravan will form to carry flowers to be placed at the entrance of the VA Hospital on Route 9A in Montrose in commemoration of past and future war casualties. Please bring
flowers for this purpose.

This rally will coincide with anti-war protests being held throughout the
world on Feb. 15.

Contact: Dave Finucane (914) 737-4059 or Nick Mottern (914) 788-8215.

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Weschester County Police Pass Muster

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WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. January 16, 2003:,/i>: The Westchester County Department of Public Safety has been reaccredited by the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Council, County Executive Andy Spano announced Wednesday.

“Reaccreditation is not automatic,” said Spano. “This reaccreditation means that our police department has met the highest standards in training, specialized services, and in its patrol and investigative duties.”

Commissioner Louis S. D’Aliso said, “I am very proud of the work that has been done by the members of the Department of Public Safety in maintaining their commitment to these standards, and their achievements in asserting themselves as amongst the finest in this profession.”

The Department of Public Safety was first accredited in 1992 and reaccredited in 1997. The distinction is valid for a period of five years, after which the department must apply for reaccreditation.

Accreditation is a voluntary program; compliance with the standards demonstrates that the agency is operating within the scope of recommended guidelines for all aspects of its operations.
The Accreditation Council based its decision to reaccredit the department on a three-day site visit at County Police Headquarters in November. The council examined written documents, conducted interviews and toured the facility to observe all facets of the department.

Preparation for the site visit began a year ago when D’Aliso ordered all department Operating Procedures and General Orders reviewed and brought up to date to meet the criteria of the accreditation standards.

“This is a labor-intensive task that requires the participation and cooperation of all department members,” Spano said, “But the time and effort involved means we have a streamlined and efficient operation of the department as a whole.”

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Greenburgh Town Board Backs Feiner to Overturn Wicks Law

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WPCNR GREENBURGH GAZETTE EVENING EDITION. From Town of Greenburgh Media Relations Office. January 14, 2003:Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner announced Tuesday evening that the Greenburgh Town Board unanimously approved a resolution on January l4th calling on State Senator Nick Spano and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky to introduce legislation
in Albany that would exempt the Town of Greenburgh from provisions of the Wicks Law.
The Wicks Law, according to Feiner, REQUIRES THE GOVERNMENT TO
OVERPAY WHEN CONSTRUCTING OR RENOVATING GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. Feiner said that the Town is in the process of renovating l77 Hillside for their new Town Hall and will be expanding the library.

“We could save millions if the State Legislature approves this exemption.”

Feiner said that the City of Buffalo and various state boards and agencies have received exemptions from the law in the past. A state report indicated that some communities have overpaid by as much as 30% –thanks to the Wicks Law.

“We’re hopeful that our State Senator and Assemblyman will work with the town so we can get this exemption,” Feiner stated.

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That Heavenly Coffee is Coming to Westchester. Franchises Up for Grabs

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WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From Charles Aris. (EDITED) January 14, 2003: That Heavenly Coffee, Chock Full O’ Nuts, a trademark of New York City may soon be elbowing out Starbucks for a piece of the Westchester coffee action. Joseph F. Spiezio III is bringing it to Westchester.

Joseph F. Spiezio III, Chairman of the newly created American Café Group, LLC, also owner of Joni Management & Realty Services, has purchased area representation and development rights for “Chock full o’Nuts is the heavenly coffee ™…” from Sara Lee
Corporation for a major part of the East Coast.

“I will conduct this business in a fashion similar to the manner I conduct Joni Management & Realty Services, LLC. that is, with
passion, focus, and drive to achieve a proven recipe
for success.” Siezio said in a statement.

“A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sara Lee Corporation, Chock Full o’Nuts ® is backed by the financial strength and stability of a $22 billion
company. Sara Lee is now the second largest coffee roaster in the world. We are excited to part of this strategy; looking forward to opening hundreds of retail operations in the coming years,” noted Mr.
Spiezio.

Peter Tiberi of New Rochelle, New York, has been named President of the company. Peter brings his talent and expertise garnered through an enviable history of operations in major national food and retail
companies. American Café Group, LLC. will be headquartered in Yonkers at Joni Management & Realty Services, LLC. main corporate offices in Yonkers, New York.

Nick Tarsi, Mr. Spiezio’s partner stated, “I am delighted to be a part of the coffee business. We will develop and build locations on the East Coast selling franchises to qualified people who want to be
in the driver’s seat through the experience and rewards of ownership.”

Spiezio and Tarsi have together developed a formidable real estate portfolio. The company has focused its most recent efforts in Yonkers, fourth largest city in New York State, without losing sight of its real estate roots.

“My partners and I look to continue to grow in Yonkers, hiring local residents to fill positions in our various entities,” beamed Mr. Spiezio. Being Chairman of the Board of various business ventures affords me the opportunity to be a ‘good citizen.’ That is the impetus of my business investment demeanor. The Chock Full o’Nuts ® franchise concept will allow investors to get into the hottest trends in
foodservice today!”

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Arts Council Distributes Pennies from Heaven Friday.

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VARIETY. From Westchester Arts Council. (EDITED) January 14, 2003: Westchester Arts Council will present Arts Alive Grants Awards totaling $58,000 to 42 Westchester-based cultural organizations and three artist-initiated projects during an awards breakfast at The Arts Exchange, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue in downtown White Plains.

Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, will officiate. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 8:30 a.m.

A roll call of the 2003 arts organizations and individuals receiving support follows:

Arts Alive Grants, which are funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, provides financial and technical support for Westchester-based organizations and artists at the grassroots level. Priority is given to emerging cultural groups, ethnically based cultural activities, and services to areas where the need is greatest.

“I am pleased and gratified that the Westchester Arts Council strongly
supports the work of community-based, grassroots cultural organizations,” says Judy Matson, Chair of the Arts Council’s Grant
Committee and Director of Corporate and Community Relations for Fuji
Photo Film USA, Inc. “By promoting partnerships between Westchester
artists and their communities, Arts Alive Grants help make the arts
accessible and meaningful to every sector of our community.”

“Westchester’s legislative delegation in Albany has long recognized the importance of ensuring that the New York State Council on the Arts
(NYSCA) receives the funding it needs to keep the arts thriving at the
local level,” says Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, D-Greenburgh,
Co-Chair, Westchester Legislative Delegation. “We’re proud that this
funding plays such an instrumental role in the development of
Westchester’s extraordinary array of emerging and grass roots cultural
organizations.”

Arts Alive Grants projects scheduled for creation and presentation in 2003 include dance performances, multimedia arts events, exhibitions, jazz concerts, operas, community arts festivals, and the
creation of public sculpture, among others.

2003 Arts Alive Grants Awardees:

WHITE PLAINS

Support for Noonday Getaway Concerts, a series of free lunchtime
concerts featuring jazz, world, and classical music.

Fort Hill Players
Support for Free Summer Theatre in the Parks, providing free theatre
based on a book chosen by the Westchester Library System for its
Westchester Reads program.

La Casa de la Cultura
Support for Sharing Traditions with Spanish Songs, two concerts
featuring Spanish songs and traditional costumes.

Organization of Chinese Americans
Support for an Asian American Heritage Festival, featuring martial arts
demonstrations, acrobats, cultural traditions, songs, and dances.

Top Brass French Horn Choir
Support for a series of concerts entitled We’ll Have the Top Brass
Special with a Side of String Beings (no potatoes please), combining the French Horn and other brass instruments in new ways.
Westchester Chordsman
Support for Annual Spring Concert, a scripted musical of beloved
barbershop selections celebrating the group’s 50th anniversary.
White Plains Coalition for Racial/Cultural Harmony
Support for Harmony 2003: Tenth Year Anniversary Celebration, featuring music and song from a variety of cultures sung by Musaic, the White Plains Coalition for Racial/Cultural Harmony’s chorus.

BRONXVILLE

Corner Store Dance Company
Support for the 2003 Westchester Libraries Project, a series of six free
modern dance performances created for children and their families.

Fine Arts Orchestral Society of Yonkers
Support for annual Concerto Winners’ Concert, a performance with a full symphonic orchestra in June featuring Westchester youth musicians.

CHAPPAQUA

Chappaqua Orchestra
Support for 2003 Concert Series, including the January 11th Name That
Car(tune), which teaches children about the history of the music used in their favorite cartoons; the April 5th Fiesta Italiana, featuring
Italian composers Rossini, Puccini, and Verdi; and the May 17th gala, A
Night in Imperial Russia.

Saw Mill Summer Theatre
Support for a full stage production of the musical “Evita,” based on the
life of Eva Peron.

CROTON-ON-HUDSON

Hudson Stage Company
Support for the premiere of a full stage production of David Wiener’s
play, For the Dead, a family drama and ghost story that chronicles post-WWII Jewish immigrants posing as gentiles in America.

EASTCHESTER

Eastchester Arts Council
Support for Art Around the Town, an October 2003 arts festival to be
held in Bronxville.

ELMSFORD

Greenburgh Arts and Culture Committee
Support for Kids Short Story Connection, during which children, ages
9-15, participate in 12 writing workshops, culminating in a book of
short stories.

HAWTHORNE

Golden Apple Chorus
Support for performances and concerts to teach Westchester residents
about the art of barbershop harmony.

LARCHMONT

Mamaroneck Artists’ Guild
Support for Young Artists on the Rise, a program which invites young
artists, ages 16-19, to submit artwork to a jury for an exhibition at
the Guild’s Gallery.

MOUNT VERNON

Mount Vernon Fine Arts Cultural Center
Support for Literary Happening called Bringing Art to You, which will
include theatre demonstrations culminating in the creation of a master
class.

NEW ROCHELLE

African American Art & Cultural Appreciation Council
Support for Kaleidoscope: Abstract Points of View, at the Lumen Winter
Gallery in New Rochelle from February 1-28, featuring paintings and
poetry that examine the duality of the African American Experience.

Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library
Support for the summer series, Songs, Stories and Dances from Around the World, which highlights a different world culture each week.

New Rochelle Opera, Inc.
Support for a full production of The Merry Widow, the 1905 opera by Franz Lehar.

Songcatchers Inc.
Support for Composer of the Future II, during which eight to ten
children will be taught music composition and then given an opportunity to compose a musical work for performance by a professional orchestra.

OSSINING

Collegium Westchester
Support for two concerts-one featuring music by Nunes-Garcia and another with works by Beethoven-each concert features a new composition from an emerging Westchester composer.

Ossining Arts Council
Support for the OAC 2003 Art Exhibit Series, showcasing the art of
talented children from Ossining.

PEEKSKILL

Peekskill Arts Council
Support for Open Studios 2003, a two-day event during which 40 downtown artists open their studios to the public and another 40 artists exhibit their work at the Westchester Art Workshop of Westchester Community College and The Paramount Center for the Arts.

Sisters in Support
Support for free tours of the Underground Railroad in Peekskill,
including the only documented 19th century Underground Railroad tunnel in the region.

Westchester Jazz Workshop
Support for a series of Friday Night Jazz Concerts at One Station Plaza
in Peekskill, featuring local and metropolitan area musicians.

ZIIP Foundation
Support for a Pre-Kwanzaa Workshop, presenting the seven principles of Kwanzaa through workshops, arts & crafts, games, African art
exhibitions, cultural drum performances, dance and storytelling.

SCARSDALE

Friends of the Westchester Band
Support for a free Summer Concert Series to enrich and educate the
public in Chase Park in Scarsdale and Frey Plaza at the Eastchester Town Hall.

New Choral Society
Support for The Glory, The Majesty, The Music of England, two concerts
featuring 18th, 19th and 20th century English composers.

SOUTH SALEM

Westchester Oratorio Society
Support for a January 11th concert featuring Franz Schubert’s
masterpieces, Mass in A Flat Major and The Unfinished Symphony (No. 8), accompanied by a professional orchestra.

TARRYTOWN

Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory
Support for a full stage production of Black-Out, an original modern fairy tale opera about light and dark.

Tappan Zee Dance Group
Support for Tappan Zee DANCES, a series of events which feature the work of four choreographers, Rebecca Kelly, Suzi Taylor, Milton Myers, and Lisa Hopkins and the composer Philip Stern.

YONKERS

Friends of Philipse Manor Hall
Support for The Peoples of Westchester, an after school program during
which children will be introduced to African, Native American, and
colonial culture through storytelling, crafts and music by talented
artists.

Hamm & Clov Stage Company
Support for the production of Anam II, an original play weaving stories,
songs, and dances from Irish Immigrants about life and personal
struggle.

Piper Theatre Productions
Support for free productions of Richard III and As You Like It in
Untermyer Park in summer 2003.

Tara Circle, Inc.
Support for Bloomsday 2003, a festival featuring dramatic readings of
James Joyce’s Ulysses, musical performances, and traditional
refreshments.

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS

Town of Yorktown Museum
Support for Made in Yorktown: Artists of Quality, a three-month-long
exhibition at the Yorktown Museum and the John C. Hart Memorial Library featuring the work of 20 Yorktown artists.

Yorktown Community Players
Support for the premiere of an original play by Westchester resident,
Jefferey Fuerst, entitled The Substitute Tooth Fairy, to be performed for free at 20 public libraries throughout Westchester.

Mainstage Coffeehouse Foundation Corp.
Support for an eight month Folk Concert Series, October to May.
2003 Arts Alive Grants Will be Awarded to the Following Artist-Initiated Projects:

Janet Grice, Ardsley- Support for a series of four concerts focusing on
Brazilian music at selected libraries in conjunction with the Friends of
Ardsley Public Library. The concerts will feature Ms. Grice together
with various musicians presenting and demonstrating such Brazilian music styles as bossa-nova, samba, baiao and corinho.

Milton Sherrill, Mount Vernon- Support for the creation of several
Cosmic Totem sculptures in conjunction with the Mount Vernon Public
Library. The project will include creative workshops and lectures for
children, as well an exhibition of the totems to be held at the library.

Clyde Deloris Herring, Mount Vernon- Support for eight, two-hour
workshops, in conjunction with the Mount Vernon Public Library, during which seniors, children, and community members will listen to stories of the Underground Railroad, learn about the important role that freedom quilts played, and then create five quilts. The Freedom Quilt Project will be exhibited in various sites around the county.

For more information, please call Barrie Gelles at (914) 428-4220, ext. 238, or email: bgelles@westarts.com.

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