They were packing up boxes of Thanksgiving food for needy families today at the Greenburgh Early Childhood Program today. Photo Caption: Dawn Male, the principal of the Early Childhood Program on West Hartsdale Avenue in Greenburgh, gets help from her students as they prepare Thanksgiving food baskets for some of the needy families that attend the school, Nov. 20, 2009. The were going to distribute 15 baskets including turkeys donated by Stew Leonard’s store in Yonkers. (Mark Vergari / The Journal News )

Check out Dwight Worley’s story in an upcoming issue of The Journal News and on the web at LoHud.com

Wine shops are celebrating the arrival of 2009’s Beujolais Nouveau.

That’s Tony Russo, left, and Andrea Kish (holding Valentine), with friends A.J. Flower, Bob Black and Mary Ann DeRosa at last night’s “It’s arrived!” celebration at Russo’s and Kish’s Aries Wines & Spirits at 128 W. Post Road in White Plains.

Bob, my neighbor (not Bob Black in the photo), and I have been known to share a bottle of wine on his deck after a grueling day of yard work. I can bring the bottle next time, Bob.

Beujolais Nouveau is quickly fermented from newly harvested Gamay grapes in France’s Beaujolais region and its worldwide distribution on the third Thursday of November has become a marketing marvel. Russo said he expects his stocks to last about three months. And, as long as they last, he’s giving out promotional gifts depending on how much one buys. They include a tie with this year’s label logo from vintner Georges Duboeuf (Russo’s got one one), a T-shirt, a peace-sign necklace (Kish is sporting both) and an apron. Those are likely to run out before the wine does.

I stopped by the party for several bottles and also met Aries’ distributor, Richard Donovan, from Southern Wine & Spirits of New York; and Steve Barcello from W.J. Deutsch & Sons, the wine’s importer. Deutsch is also in White Plains.

There’s Donovan on the left, Barcello on the right.

The Westchester Bank, a company founded in 2008, opened its second location ever at 464 Mamaroneck Ave., with an official ribbon-cutting Wednesday. The company opened its headquarters in Yonkers last year.
The event brought out the incoming Mayor-Elect Adam Bradley and outgoing Mayor Joseph Delfino for a rare photo op together.

Mayor-Elect Adam Bradley and his transition team talk about the upcoming year at Bleakley Platt & Schmidt in White Plains. To see more from this meeting go Lohud.com

Traci Jackson’s class , along with all the fourth grade classes at Mamaroneck Avenue School in White Plains have been working on creating a Virtual History Board, that changes throughout the school year as the students advance through their history lessons.

According to Ms. Jackson, this is a great interactive tool that engages all the students to think about life in that period. The students really have a lot of fun as the virtual board changes. More photos can be seen by clicking here or in an upcoming edition of the White Plains Express.

My wife tipped me that city workers were decorating White Plains’ Christmas tree in Tibbits Park today so I dashed over to Broadway to check it out.

That’s a shot of the tree, framed by city worker Bill Carl’s bucket boom.

The city will officially light the tree on Dec. 6, a Sunday, in a ceremony that runs from 4-6 p.m. Tibbits Park divides Broadway, and the tree is overlooking the Main Street intersection.

Scroll down for more photos of Carl and colleague Rich Stagarone at work.

There’s the two of them (Carl’s on the left) hanging lights.

There’s a shot of Stagarone off to the right of the tree. Carl’s in the bucket behind it.

Leonard Edwards of New Rochelle holds up his Sweet Millions winning lottery ticket during a press conference at The Westchester in White Plains Nov. 19, 2009. He will receive a one lump sum, after taxes of $660,300.00 which he plans to pay off his house and put the rest aside for retirement. ( Ricky Flores / The Journal News )

This just in.

The Westchester County Board of Elections tells staff writer Ben Rubin that White Plains Councilman Glen Hockley collected 18 percent of the vote in his failed bid for mayor.

Still, that’s not bad. And he’s still not conceding.

Here’s Rubin’s story on LoHud.com.

Nearly two dozen needy families will each have a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings thanks to the students and parents of the Greenburgh school district.

The Parent Teacher Association, working with the district’s Early Childhood Program, has been running a food drive since early November. Pre-schoolers brought in canned and boxed goods in their bookbags and parents dropped off many items, including stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams and sparkling cider. School officials said Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers has agreed to donate 20 turkeys, completing the traditional Thanksgiving meal for families who will pick up the bags of groceries on Friday.

Dawn Male, principal of the Early Childhood Program, said today she is heartened by the community’s support.

“With the economy the way it is today, it shows that people care about their neighbors,” she said. “They’re not able to give much, but I see small bags coming in and growing into big boxes of food. All of these small contributions. It’s us pulling together to make a difference.”

Families were selected by teachers and other community members based on financial need, some low-income, others who might have recently lost jobs, Male said. She said the drive might collect more food than is needed and any surplus will be donated to a local food pantry.

For information on the food drive, call 914-949-2745. Donations can be dropped off at the Early Childhood Program building, 475 W. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale.

This just in from the Westchester District Attorney’s office: The Valhalla-based Children’s Advocacy Center has received national accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance, a professional membership organization dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse.

The Children’s Advocacy Center, part of the Westchester Institute for Human Development, is one of only 22 programs in New York state to have NCA accreditation. The key to Westchester getting accreditation was its multi-disciplinary investigative team, made up of the District Attorney’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, the County Department of Social Services, local police departments, victim advocacy groups and mental health providers.

Westchester child advocacy center offers young victims of physical and sexual abuse the chance to get the medical, emotional, and advocacy services they need. The center’s centralized location allows law enforcement and Child Protective Services to coordinate investigations and make sure that children aren’t victimized by the system. The National Children’s Alliance works side-by-side with programs and professionals across the country to lessen trauma for abused children, break the cycle of abuse, and enhance prosecutors’ abilities to charge abusers in both the criminal and family courts.

Accreditation is subject to review every five years.