White Plains and Valhalla region

Stepinac’s Conroy Baltimore shoots over Horace Greeley’s Matt Townsend during one of the final games at the Slam Dunk Tournament at the Westchester County Center in White Plains today. Photo by Seth Harrison

Stepinac defeated Horace Greeley 61-42 to win the championship game. Look for tournament coverage at Lohud.com and in tomorrow’s edition of The Journal News. View a gallery of photos from Stepinac vs. Horace Greeley.

The Peekskill girls basketball team hoists their championship trophy high in the air after their 70-66 victory over Ossining during the Slam Dunk Tournament at Westchester County Center in White Plains on Dec. 30, 2010. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

See more from the Peekskill win over Ossining during the Slam Dunk Tournament at County Center in White Plains in a photo gallery, and go to LoHud.com for more prep sports coverage.

Greenburgh’s Arts and Culture Committee is seeking submissions for the 7th annual Matters of the HeART exhibit that will be held in the spring.

Any Westchester County artist over the age of 55 is invited to submit only one painting, drawing, print, mixed media creation, collage, photograph, or free-standing  sculpture for the exhibit.

There is no entry fee, but artists  must pre-register before Feb. 15. To download entry guidelines and an application form, visit the Committee’s website.  For more information or a paper application, contact exhibit curator Karen Sevell Greenbaum at stukaren@earthlink.net or 914-271-3878.

Local officials from the 89th Assembly District will host a public-swearing in ceremony for Assemblyman Robert J. Castelli, R- Goldens Bridge, at noon Saturday at the South Salem Fire House in Lewisboro. The address is 1190 Route 35.

A swearing-in ceremony for Thomas J. Abinanti, a Democrat who won the 92nd Assembly District seat, is set for Sunday, Jan. 9 at
2 p.m. at Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh.

Update: (We just received this in)   Assemblyman-Elect Steve Katz will hold three ceremonies to mark his assumption of the 99th district seat. They are all Saturday, Jan. 1. The first is at noon at the Putnam County Courthouse, 40 Gleneida Ave., Carmel. The second is at 1:30 p.m. at Yorktown Town Hall, 363 Underhill Ave., Yorktown Heights. And the third is at 3:30 p.m. at Pawling Town Hall, 160 Charles Colman Blvd., Pawling.

Meanwhile, New Rochelle will swear in two elected officials on Saturday: Susan I. Kettner, newly-elected City Court Judge, and Jared R. Rice, newly-elected City Councilman in the 3rd Council District. That ceremony is set for 1 p.m. at New Rochelle City Hall, 515 North Avenue.

The swearing-in ceremony for Thomas J. Abinanti as a member of the New York State Assembly, 92nd Assembly District, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. at Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue.

Abinanti, a longtime resident of the Orchard Hill section of unincorporated Greenburgh, was a county legislator in the 12th District for 20 years.

RSVP by calling 914-328-9000 or email TJAESQ@AOL.COM

Michael Hernandez, a part time highway department employee with the City of White Plains Department of Public Works, hoses out a salt spreader container at the DPW, Dec. 29, 2010. The 61 salt spreaders and snowplows get a rinse after heavy use after a snowfall. ( Photo by Mark Vergari / The Journal News )

Hartsdale resident and attorney William “Bill” Greenawalt is seeking to fill the 12th District seat that will be vacated by Thomas Abinanti next year. Abinanti will leave the seat when he joins the state Assembly in January.

Greenawalt, who has expressed interest in the position since April, graduated from Cornell University before serving two years in the Navy. He attended Yale Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal and later worked as a Manhattan litigator for four years.

Greenawalt joined the public service sector and became a legal services director at the Office of Economic Opportunity, where he developed 75 programs for the poor during his two-year tenure. He later returned to a litigation career in New York City and Westchester County.

Greenawalt has been the Assembly District’s Democratic State Committeeman since 1978, serving multiple executive positions including treasurer and vice chairman. He has served on Greenburgh’s recreation committee; Westchester County’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation  Board; and the Taconic State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission. He was chair of the Greenburgh Democratic Committee from 1997 to 2002. He chaired the county’s White-tailed Deer and Forest Regeneration Task Force and led a 2008 report that studied how to protect the forest and homeowners.

Greenawalt said the county’s 2011 has “severe budget cuts” that “sometimes cut beyond the bone.”  He is favor of possibly merging departments for “sensible savings,” job creation, infrastructure projects such as adding sidewalks and bicycle paths, and better legislator communication.

District leaders will vote on a democratic candidate at their convention on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at Greenburgh Town Hall. MaryJane Shimsky, the community relations director for Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, is also seeking the district seat. District 12 covers central and southern Greenburgh including Edgemont and Hartsdale.

Read more about the two candidates in the Express on Thursday, Jan. 6.

If you thought Cabo was just a nightclub, think again. Yes, they have a chic lounge that gets hopping on Friday and Saturday nights, but the main draw Tuesday through Sunday is Sienna Italian-American Grill. The upscale restaurant, which reopened in the fall, is the collaboration of Gregory Massimi (formerly of Laguna Restaurant) and Chef Joe Giordano (formerly of Valbella in Greenwich). If you go, try the appetizer Italian Sliders made with Kobe beef, sharp provolone, and caramelized onion or the Rice Balls made with risotto, meat, peas, onion, tomato and cheese. For dinner, the Red Snapper Marechiara and the Chicken Scarpariella are popular, and all their pastas are made in house. Ask about their nightly specials.

Details: 107 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains. 914-358-9060. www.cabowhiteplains.com

— Jessica Rao

ShopRite at the City Center — a 59,000-square-foot supermarket — will open its doors on Wednesday, January 5. Along with fresh produce, meats and fish, the store will offer a full-service florist, a pharmacy, and a broad selection of ethnic and organic products. Planning a party? The catering department is headed by Culinary Institute of America (CIA)–trained chefs. Hungry for lunch? There’s a sushi bar, and a grill serving sandwiches, burgers and chicken. In fact, stop by the eat-in lounge— home to flat screens and Wi-Fi — for lunch, dinner or just to grab coffee. And be sure to ask about ShopRite’s home-delivery service for those times when you don’t want to go out at all.

Details: The City Center; 1 City Place (1-29 Mamaroneck Avenue); White Plains; 914-539-4500; www.shoprite.com

— Jessica Rao