The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Grace Bennett

This Wild and Precious Life

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“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

Grace Bennett
PHOTO BY DONNA MUELLER

Many ponder that question as time marches on. As goals and desires unrealized gnaw at me, I’m taking Oliver’s challenge to heart. On our home page, you will find a genealogy story, a real-life cousin who found me doing research of family lost in the Holocaust! The revelation further inspired me to revisit yellowing documents from my dad’s horrific experiences surviving Auschwitz, and to hopefully undertake translating my grandfather’s manuscript of surviving that horrendous war in hiding, and reuniting with my dad in Israel, after the rest of his family was killed. And about growing up ‘in the shadow’. I may have a memoir in the making if I can do my best to stay focused.

In time for Mother’s and Father’s Day and graduations, enjoy stories about new & expectant families, a second ‘Portraits and Profiles’ column sharing peace-enhancing practices plus a lovely essay about a special mother/daughter bond.

Here too are spotlights on two great County leaders. A cover story by Alexa Troob emphasizes Vedat Gashi’s focus on cooperation and collaboration. Via Deborah Notis’s interview with Westchester County Executive George Latimer, we learn about a hardworking, results-achieving leader! Other stories include ones about a local rock band, The Station Agents, and another, about a humble World War II vet, Sargent Dan Santagata.

A second cover story (by yours truly!) is about a local dad who just happens to also be a two-time Grammy winner and mastering engineer — Joe LaPorta! Joe’s latest Grammy was for Miley Cyrus’s FLOWERS! I had fun learning how LaPorta, and those in his field of expertise, enhance a song’s sound so that its melody really sticks!

I’m particularly excited to present the indomitable Benjamin Cheever’s engaging cover story about the globe-trotting adventures of award-winning documentary team Susan Todd and Andrew Young. We also think you will appreciate a close-up of Pleasantville High School’s beloved Principal Joseph Palumbo. Two articles by Christine Pasqueralle are one about the Briarcliff Manor Library’s Poetry Café, and a second about the much beloved Briarcliff Manor fundraiser – affectionately called Mezzapalooza. Please also don’t miss our update about the upcoming lineup at the ever-beautiful Caramoor, or the breaking news about the Jacob Burns Film Center’s opening of Take 3, a new Wine Bar and Cafe! Here too is an announcement of the lineup of the Pleasantville Music Festival which we are lending a helping hand to this year, too, as a media sponsor.

Plus, as always, there’s ‘much more’.  Just take a look!

If I’ve missed anyone or anything, we will surely catch up with you one day, as we love to do!

I’m forever grateful to all our contributors and advertisers — I’d like you to know that advertising revenue remains vital for bringing these independently-produced editions to a wide swath of Northern Westchester ‘and beyond’  (to some 75,000 readers not even counting the internet reach of many thousands more with each publishing cycle), so in our 21st year of publishing that includes some true milestones including a recent 20-year anniversary or Inside Chappaqua, a current 10-year anniversary for Inside Armonk and five-year one for Inside Briarcliff Manor & Pleasantville, please contact us ‘for the first time’ if you have ever contemplated a print plus online (a powerful combo!) sponsorship, or ‘revisit’ us if you have in the past! 

We’re still cooking, but make no mistake about it, we need you!

More than ever, in fact, we also appreciate reader support. Another way to help us keep the issues coming is a digital subscription that opens up a decade of content to you (ask us how to unlock a story permanently too, or over the long term): https://www.theinsidepress.com/subscriptions/

It’s truly a privilege producing well regarded magazines in the beautiful hills of Northern Westchester. So, as I retreat to behind-the-scenes projects and pursuits, please know I’m still very much here, and confident that our magazines’ ‘day to day’ responsibilities are in capable hands with associate publisher/editor, Elise Trainor. Elise will be giving you The Inside Scoop each issue.

Here’s wishing you warm, bright days ahead in your own precious lives.  

 

Off The Record…

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PHOTO BY DONNA MUELLER

Here I am – writing my first The Inside Scoop for Inside Press. Elise Trainor is taking off the training wheels! Having spent many years in the media and advertising world, I’m excited to take these skills and enter the fast paced, creative, and ever-changing business of publishing.

My family and I have lived in Armonk for 23 years and I’m still learning more about our vibrant community and the surrounding towns every day. I intend to highlight as many extraordinary people and events as I can and will always be open to new ideas.

As I reflect on the past three months, I’d like to express my gratitude to the exceptionally gifted Grace Bennett. Grace has had tremendous patience while imparting her invaluable wisdom about the publishing business. It is an honor learning from someone who has inspired, informed, and entertained her readers for 21 years. So, a heartfelt thanks to Grace and to the entire talented Inside Press team – Lisa Samkoff, art director; Ryan Smith, host at insidepress.com; and Tara Madden, account manager. Here’s to our continued success together in the years to come.

To our many remarkable contributors: Your hard work, creativity, and dedication have made my start at The Inside Press exceptional. From thought-provoking articles to stunning visuals, your contributions enrich our publications and provide our readers with engaging content that goes beyond expectations. To our advertisers: We can’t do it without you, and I’m enjoying getting to know each of you personally.

To our moms, dads, & grads – this one is for you! Celebrate the season and be mindful to cherish, appreciate, and connect with your loved ones.

Family is everything!

A special shout out to my mom and dad, whose support knows no bounds. To my kids who make me a proud mom every day. And to my husband – who makes the journey of life full of laughs. Much love and many thanks to you all!

Fresh Beginnings

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Grace Bennett
PHOTO BY DONNA MUELLER
When I conjured up the theme of “fresh beginnings,” I had hoped we’d see the hostages come home… with that, a new peace in a troubled region, and a collective sigh of relief everywhere! I’m sad that wasn’t the case, at least not at press time, but I remain, I know we all remain, ever hopeful.

Holding onto hope in the battle against cancer is the reigning sentiment for all the participants of Chappaqua’s always amazing Relay for Life, our Inside Chappaqua cover story by Mia Brown. Kudos to all the Greeley volunteers!

The historic inaugurations in January seemed to promise a bright, new future for our residents, with Victoria Bayard Tipp now at the helm as the Town of New Castle’s first BIPOC Town Supervisor. We are proud to present Zoya Nabeel’s poignant coverage, and my own report of all the newly sworn in public officials, in our first 2024 edition, kicking off a 21st year of publishing.

Elise Trainor
In the meantime, some fresh beginnings have taken place Inside the Inside Press. In December, we extended a warm welcome to our new Associate Publisher and Editor Elise Trainor, a consummate media pro who has been busy gearing up to assume many of my current responsibilities (my goal is to pursue special projects long put on hold!). Elise, an Armonk resident who has raised her family in North Castle together with her husband John, rolled up her sleeves right away getting to know our present sponsors and securing new ones in our vital print/online market. She is also already bringing us great stories including the Inside Armonk cover story written by Stacey Pfeffer about Stayin’ Alive, a gift to First Responders and the residents in Armonk, but also in nearby towns. To reach Elise, write to elise@insidepress.com.

Speaking of gifts, we celebrate spring in a debut of Ronni Diamondstein and Naava Katz’s fun new column, Portraits & Profiles. We hope you enjoy it.

Ella Ilan’s article about newly elected Town Supervisor Joseph Rende offers our readers an opportunity to ‘get to know’ him a little better, and offers some insight into his priorities for North Castle. As a prime example, look for a remounting of the Armonk Eagle with details to follow about the beloved landmark. 

We are also thrilled to hear that the Byram Hills Varley Players are gearing up to present Mamma Mia!, a personal Broadway favorite. So, mark your calendar for an event the entire community will surely enjoy.

Music is always a great salve during challenging times, so we are very proud to bring you Marco Lamberti’s story, the Inside Pleasantville and Briarcliff Manor cover story, as told by Christine Pasqueralle. A 10-year-old drummer rocking venues around the county felt inspiring to us, and we’d like our readers to perhaps one day say ‘they knew him when’ as they recall Marco’s ‘beginning’ 15 minutes of fame in their favorite local magazine.

In entirely different arenas, Michael Gold continues to bring stories to local presses intended to protect our precious planet, this time in a conversation with Nicole Asquith on the future of renewable energy. Fran Goldstein’s interview with Briarcliff Manor’s Audrey Birnbaum about her extraordinary new Holocaust memoir is a must read, and we wish Audrey well on her publishing journey. You’ll also find sage ‘midlife’ advice from the one and only René Syler. Also, if winter sniffles strike again, check out our new roving food reviewer interns who sampled hot soups in the area, and report their favorite to take out.

Please take time to check out all our new stories. Wishing you all fresh beginnings!

Area Journalists Address Alarming Trends Hurting Journalism, but also Relay Reasons for Optimism

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Chappaqua Library Panel on the Future of Local Journalism.  Photo by Andrew Vitelli

Fewer Reporters, Social Media & Artificial Intelligence Challenges, and an ongoing Funding Puzzle were Discussed at the Chappaqua Library Panel Event

David McKay Wilson, now a columnist for The Journal News, began working for the Gannett in 1986. At the time, he recalled, “every town was covered, every school board.”

“You got that Sunday newspaper that was like this,” he said, using his hands to signal the edition’s heft. “That of course has all changed.”

Wilson was one of four journalists on a panel on the future of local journalism held March 22 at the Chappaqua Library. The panel was moderated by Inside Press publisher Grace Bennett.

Martin Wilbur, editor-in-chief of The Examiner, expressed a similar concern, recalling that in the past every community and school district would be covered by its own fulltime reporter.

“When you consider just in about 30 years, the diminishment of that, it is alarming,” Wilbur said. “At The Examiner, I feel like a guy with one water bucket, and I’ve got 10 places where my roof is leaking, and I am running around.”

The diminished presence of local news was a major theme of the panel discussion. Since 2005, Bennett noted in her introductory remarks, some 2,500 newspapers have closed in the US, a quarter of the total, with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating that trend.

“The influence and purpose of journalism and the value of the Fourth Estate has been clear for centuries,” remarked Bennett. “In trying times like these, our nation could use not less journalism, but more, and we need new government funding and research and a template for saving and even expanding journalism.”

(L-R): “Future of Local Journalism” panel moderator Grace Bennett, Inside Press, with Panelist Martin Wilbur, Examiner News, Chappaqua Library Program Coordinator Joan Kuhn, Panelist Michelle Falkenstein, freelance writer, and Panelists David McKay Wilson and Asher Stockler, Journal News.
Photo by Denise Mincin

 

Modern Day Tech Challenges

“It is very difficult to adapt the traditional structure of news to a lot of newfangled media,” said Asher Stockler, a government accountability reporter for The Journal News. “I don’t know how I could condense a story, let’s say, about police brutality into a TikTok.”

While local newspapers have been shut down or scaled back their staff, there’s been an explosion of low-quality news sources.

“In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 54% of Americans got their news sometimes or often from social media, the number one source being Facebook,” said Michelle Falkenstein, a freelance culture reporter. “So, it is alarming, really.”

A handful of social media sites have a tremendous impact on what articles get views and clicks, a dynamic Stockler called “one of the biggest threats” to a robust news industry. Clickbait headlines can skew a social media site’s algorithm to promote vapid regurgitations of old stories.

“Even with, ‘if it bleeds it leads,’ a lot of times it was a sensationalized version of some sort of actual basis,” Stockler said, referring to the old adage that gruesome stories were typically featured prominently. Often with clickbait, he said, “there is no new information.”

And then there is the effect that 280-character tweets and 30-second reels have had on the attention spans of news consumers.

“You can’t write long anymore,” said Falkenstein. “If I get 800 words, I feel like I hit the jackpot.”

Addressing Artificial Intelligence

Soon, reporters will have to contend with advanced AI – artificial intelligence – which Stockler called an “impending disaster.”

AI can be a reporting tool, he acknowledged, but there is a danger if it is used to replace instead of supplement the reporting process.

“What do you do when an algorithm creates something libelous or something defamatory?” Stockler asked. “I just think it is going to open a rift in terms of whatever trust is left in the content generation business.”

Despite all the headwinds facing local news, the conversation was far from all gloom and despair. Social media brought with it some benefits, the panelists noted, including the ability to engage with their readers.

“I’m a boomer and I love Facebook,” said Wilson. “I know that is not popular in some settings but I really do.”

Wilson said he posts all his stories on Facebook and other social media sites.

“Part of my journalism is being on Facebook and having these interactions with people who I know,” he said. “It’s an engagement that I enjoy, and I think that it has got to be part of journalism today.”

Certain parts of the country, Falkenstein explained, are news deserts, where there is little to no coverage of what is happening locally. “People end up paying more to live in these communities, because they are not aware of things that are going on with taxes and that sort of thing or pet projects that might come up,” she said. “They also don’t vote as much. They don’t feel as invested.”

Better News in Places Like Westchester

Though the local news scene is less robust than it once was, Westchester and the Hudson Valley have “bucked the trend a little bit,” Bennett posited.

“In Westchester, we are relatively lucky. There is an informed citizenry or a citizenry that wants to learn more about what is going on,” said Wilbur. “And there is enough disposable income among businesses and organizations that a lot of places around the country do not have.”

And while the platforms and the technology may continue to change, the key to retaining readers’ trust is much the same – “doing really good work,” he added. That includes transparent sourcing, printing opposing opinions, and running corrections when necessary.

“We don’t know the next platform or the next thing six weeks, six months, six years. We just know it’s going to change, and it’s going to continue to change,” concluded Wilbur. “And the organizations that survive are the ones who will best be able to adapt to whatever might come their way.”

 

How ‘Bout That?

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Photo by Mia Brown

Age may be just a number, but the shelf life of a print publication these days is most decidedly not. It speaks volumes, and I am owning that! When I published a first edition in 2003, I was fully prepared for it to be a one-hit wonder. I let go of my fear and gave it the old college try. And then, lo and behold, it took hold, and I had more than enough sponsors to keep it going. And going, and going it positively did… and here I am, with a 20th year commemorative edition in print and online. Well, how ‘bout that?

Throughout the Inside Press journey, I have navigated and published (always delivering on time… a point of pride!) through different personal crises, and in these most recent years, a world crisis. I write this in fact with some long Covid symptoms unfortunately still plaguing me. Nothing too dire. Hopefully, that all clears up soon. I have my May/June issues to work on next after all!

Being a tad insecure, as well, I have always thought that any issue could be my last. Chalk that up to my being a child of Holocaust survivors. Maybe it’s hard for us to trust the universe entirely.

It didn’t matter that those closest to me would roll their eyes at all my angst. No one close to me ever believed me, not for a Chappaqua minute. I’m hand wringing less these days, I’m glad to report.

Fortunately, I’ve reached an age that if I went belly up, or bottom down, you know what? I’d be ok, too. More than ok. It might even be ‘a choice’ I make one day. A ‘Next Act’ could have its very own silver linings.  I expect I’ll be as excited for that one day as I was about launching a hyperlocal publishing company.

It’s a ‘good head space’ to be in, and a ‘Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” ‘tude is a terrific confidence builder (ask any Gone with the Wind fan). I would not have shared these most inner thoughts at the 10-year mark, but at my 20th, I do feel more free. I have earned that privilege, thank you very much.

No man or woman is an island, and that couldn’t be more true in publishing either. It’s fairly obvious that the real estate community is an enthusiastic supporter of the Inside Press, and I’m of course indebted to their collective generosity! A group of eminently kind testimonials from an interesting cross section of other businesses are also going to my head!  I’m hoping their words, occasionally shared, are an enticement for past advertisers to collaborate with me again, or for new ones to come knocking.

Finally, I couldn’t publish successfully without a group of contributor pros (their faces and bios are in each edition!).   https://www.theinsidepress.com/meet-the-inside-press-contributing-team/If my 20th year stands for anything, it’s for the considerable talent of our past, present and future creative ensemble!

For the Armonk edition, which turns 10 next year, (how ’bout that, too!) I engaged a great local talent, Illeana Baquero, to put her own spin on Spring.

In the Pleasantville & Briarcliff edition,  now in its third year, I chose to cover spotlight a prominent local author, Ben Cheever. After all, I’m celebrating the power of writing in many ways right now with these editions, too.

I hope you enjoy all the new ‘content’ online including some first time Advertiser Testimonials. https://www.theinsidepress.com/20-years-of-inside-press-what-makes-us-stand-out/I’m eternally grateful for the sponsor support, as without it, I couldn’t gather all the wonderful stories! Or pay my bills, but I digress. Aside from the 20th year drum roll, we’ve included compelling artist profiles, Maggie Mae love, sweet essays, spring-themed pieces (get your planters and hiking shoes ready!), an artists’ residency, and more. I would love your feedback too and your story ideas. If I’m known for anything, I hope it has been for my openness to you, dear reader, here, and beyond.