When it’s snowing outside on a dreary February Saturday, nothing beats fresh baked, mint-embedded brownies fresh out of the oven.
HUDSON VALLEY PET FOOD PANTRY RECEIVES DONATION FROM ANTHONY’S COAL FIRED PIZZA
Myosotee Perez, manager of Anthonyâs Coal Fired Pizza in White Plains presents a contribution check to Susan Katz, Founder/President of the Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry, and Kathy Ferri, Vice-President/Pantry Director.
WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From The Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry. February 21, 2015:
The Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry has received a donation from Anthonyâs Coal Fired Pizza in White Plains, NY, representing proceeds from a promotion recently conducted by the restaurant.
Twenty percent of dine-in and carry out sales on four recent Thursdays from people who mentioned the pet food pantry were set aside by the restaurant for the donation. The restaurant tracked more than $3,000 in sales which could be attributed to supporters of the pet food pantry, resulting in a contribution from the promotion of just over $600.
The mission of the Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry is to provide pet food assistance to economically challenged, disabled, and/or elderly residents of the Hudson Valley region. Veterans with service animals also are aided, as are those who have lost their jobs.
Presently, the pet food pantry serves 300 families, feeding approximately 760 animals each month. Since its inception in 2010, the pantry has helped keep 1,550 animals at home with their families, saving them from having to be surrendered to shelters or abandoned due to economic hardship. The Hudson Valley Pet Food Pantry is an all-volunteer non-profit organization based in White Plains.
Eastchester Tax Preparer Indicted for Allegedly Failing to Pay Client’s Taxes
Louis Ciampanelli
WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Office of the District Attorney. February 19, 2015:
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore and New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Incoming Commissioner Kenneth Adams announced today that Louis Ciampanelli (DOB 02/17/55) of 1 Nelson Road, Eastchester, New York, was arraigned on an indictment charging him with:
- one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony,
- two counts of Criminal Tax Fraud in the Fourth Degree, class “E” Felonies.
“While this defendant allegedly held himself out to be a tax preparer, stealing clients money rightfully destined for the IRS and the New York State Tax Department, he also, over a number of years, failed to file and pay his own taxes. When an individual doesn’t pay one’s taxes it impacts all of us, as the burden becomes greater on those of us who do,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.
“More than 70% of all New Yorkers use a paid professional to complete and file their income tax returns,” said incoming Commissioner Adams. “We will continue to work with law enforcement of all levels to uncover unscrupulous preparers and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
Between December 14, 2010 and February 13, 2012, the defendant provided personal and business accounting and tax preparation services to John Nardini Construction, Inc.
According to the owner and his wife, rather then pay the United States Internal Revenue Service or the New York State Tax Department directly, the defendant had instructed them to provide him with checks, made payable to either Louis Ciampanelli or LMC Tax Consultants.
Ciampanelli told the victims that he would then, in turn, make the payments on their behalf to the taxing agencies.
The defendant never paid the taxing authorities for either their personal taxes or the businesses taxes. The funds were converted for his own use.
The amount of the larceny is approximately $47,000.
The defendant was arrested by investigators from the District Attorneys Office.
Bail was continued at $5,000 cash/$15,000 bond.
The case was adjourned to May 20th, 2015.
The defendant faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Mayes of the Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case.
County Claims Major Victory in Court Over HUD– US Court of Appeals Says HUD Actions Are Reviewable by the Courts
WPCNR WESTCHESTER LAW JOURNAL. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. February 18, 2015 (EDITED):
As County Legislature Chair Michael Kaplowitz informed WPCNR earlier this afternoon in a statement, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has rejected claims by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that HUD’s actions are not reviewable by the courts.
Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino had argued that “HUD acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner” when it began withholding federal funds from the county in 2011.
The appeals court vacated a lower court ruling and held that HUD’s actions are “subject to judicial review.”
Astorino said this was vindication for the county. “A lot of people asked, why are we fighting HUD?” Astorino said. “Today’s decision is a clear statement that the county was right to defend local zoning.”
“The Second Circuit’s ruling is a major victory for due process against an aggressively overreaching federal bureaucracy,” Astorino said. “Just like everyone else, HUD has to follow the law. In this case, HUD was making up its own rules. That’s not right and the court has now made it very clear that actions by HUD are subject to judicial review.”
The case stems from HUD’s decision to start withholding Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other federal funds based on what the agency claimed was its “discretionary” power. But the appeals court rejected HUD’s arguments, pointing to a number of statutes limiting the agency’s authority.
“We conclude that the statutes governing HUD’s administration of the relevant grants provide meaningful standards constraining HUD’s exercise of discretion and that HUD’s actions are thus subject to judicial review,” the decision states, adding, “The agency’s adoption of regulations that might appear to give the agency unfettered discretion does not act to nullify the meaningful standards which exist in the statue.”
Central to the county’s case was overreach by HUD. HUD had hoped to pressure the county to dismantle local zoning by withholding the federal grants. Astorino resisted, saying such actions went beyond not only the terms of the settlement but also violated the home rule provisions of the New York State Constitution.
In a critical part of the decision, the appeals court noted that HUD did not have the right to reject the county’s housing strategy or withhold funding on the basis of “land use controls [and] zoning ordinances … that may affect the development of affordable housing in the jurisdiction.”
The case now goes back to U.S. District Court and Judge Denise Cote.
In terms of recovering the money, the county’s options are limited. Of the more than $7 million withheld by HUD in 2011, all but about $750,000 have been reallocated by the agency to other jurisdictions. The court ruled that once HUD reallocated the funds, the county’s claim to them became moot. HUD is still withholding 2013 and 2014 grants of more than $10 million, which the county will pursue.
Under the terms of the affordable housing settlement reached by former County Executive Andrew Spano and HUD in 2009, Westchester County agreed to spend “at least” $51.6 million to ensure the development of 750 fair and affordable housing units (rental and home ownership) and to market the units not just to Westchester residents, but to minority households in surrounding counties, including New York City, as well.
Five years into the settlement, the county is in full compliance. The county finished 2014 with 454 units with financing (450 was the benchmark) and 406 units with building permits (350 was the benchmark). All 31 communities have identified potential sites and 223 units are occupied.