THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD. February 16, 2004: The Men’s and Women’s Choirs of Anchor House, the United Methodist residential drug rehabilitation program, will sing during the 10 a.m. worship service at Memorial UMC on Sunday, March 7.

After the service, the congregation of Memorial will host a covered dish luncheon for its Anchor House guests.

The Anchor House men’s program was established in 1967 in a former parsonage on Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights by the Rev. Alfredo Cotto-Thorner, then pastor of South Third Street United Methodist Church, who was working with addicts and saw the need for a residential facility. The program has been in operation continuously since, serving up to 21 men at a time.

Later, a new building was developed into a program for 50 more men, and a women’s program was started for 18 women. Another house has been purchased next door to the women’s house, and Anchor House is awaiting funds to renovate both buildings to serve up to 28 women.

Anchor – which stands for Addicts on Narcotics CHrist Oriented — House is a faith-based program. To graduate, residents must go through the entire program, which takes 18-24 months. They study to receive the GED diploma if they have not completed high school. They are then placed in a vocational track suited to their particular gifts, and graduate with a savings account, a place to live and a job.

Anchor House has been recognized by The United Methodist Church, the State OASAS division and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as an outstanding program.

The congregation of Memorial strives to welcome and respect persons of every race, ethnicity, national origin, physical or mental ability, gender, family status, sexual orientation, age, theology, and economic circumstance. Its pastor is Rev. Joe Agne. The church is located on Bryant Avenue between North Street and Mamaroneck Avenue.

WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. From Todai Restaurant. (Edited) February 15, 2004: Todai, a Japanese all-you-can-eat sushi and seafood restaurant will debut in the Northeast at the White Plains Galleria Mall in early March. The 350-seat restaurant will occupy 10,000 square feet on the first floor of The Galleria and will feature its signature 160-foot seafood buffet counter, offering 40 kinds of sushi. Learn more abotu Todai from their website at www.todai.com.

There’s a salad bar and hot entrée island offering more than 15 dishes, and a dessert bar featuring 20 different cakes and fruits. The restaurant will be located on the first floor of The 24-year old Galleria Mall, which recently was purchased.

The restaurant price range begins at $13.95 to $15.95 for lunch to dinners from $23.95 to $25.95. The salad bar features mixed greens, edamame, mixed seafood salad, green lip mussels, poached salmon, marinated mushrooms, seaweed and eggplant salad.

At the sushi bar, tuna, salmon, yellow tail, eel, sea urchin, spicy tuna roll, California roll and more delicacies will be available. At the “steam table,” seafood adventurers can select from grilled fresh salmon, shrimp and vegetable tempura, teriyaki beef and chicken, sukiyaki, baked green mussel, half-shell baked lobster, fried noodles and rice.

Todai first opened in Santa Monica, California in 1985 and expanded to 10 restaurants throughout southern California. Currently there are 25 Todais operating in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Nevada and Hong Kong.

Richard Lee, Director of Marketing, is quoted in the news releases, praising White Plains: “Our new restaurant at The Galleria will be the first in the Northeast, and we’re very excited about coming to White Plains. This is a vibrant city and we’re confident that this restaurant will be one of our most successful.”