NY — A Peekskill resident has been charged with deliberately placing hazardous debris along a popular mountain biking trail at Blue Mountain Reservation 44-year-old Jeffrey Jarvis of Congress Street faces a misdemeanor charge of Criminal Nuisance in the Second Degree He was booked at County Police headquarters in Hawthorne and released pending a May 19 court appearance in Peekskill City Court The arrest follows an investigation initiated in the fall of 2024 after County Police received multiple complaints about tree limbs and other debris being placed at the bottom of a descending rock face on a trail frequented by mountain bikers and park personnel conducted regular inspections of the remote area An association of mountain bikers installed a trail camera near the rock face known as a granite roller among enthusiasts Although a suspect was initially identified there was insufficient evidence to press charges recent footage from the trail camera led to Jarvis's formal charge on April 29 a 1,538-acre County park located in Peekskill and Cortlandt We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview An investigation into who was placing debris on a popular mountain biking trail in Blue Mountain Reservation has ended with an arrest May 1 announced a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal nuisance against a 44-year-old Peekskill man The investigation began in the fall of 2024 after police had received several complaints that bikers were being exposed to injury because branches tree limbs and other debris were often found at the bottom of a descending rock face on a trail frequented by mountain bikers Blue Mountain Reservation is a county park straddling Peekskill and Cortlandt County police and park rangers inspected the location frequently but detectives also relied on a trail camera that was placed at the rock face also known as a 'granite roller' in biker lingo Video initially obtained from the camera pointed to a suspect but was insufficient to make an arrest More recent video was clearer and led to the defendant's arrest on Tuesday He is due in Peekskill City Court on May 19 students are in need of positive influences Margie Daniels of the Peekskill City School District agrees and works diligently as the district’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) program administrator to ensure students are receiving the support critical to their academic and social development To Read the Full May Issue of River Journal North, Click HERE Peekskill schools were early adopters of the national MBK program an initiative launched by President Obama in 2014 to “address the persistent opportunity gaps boys and young men of color face and to ensure all young people can reach their full potential.” In the 10 years since Peekskill began the program it has expanded from serving only high school students to now include middle and elementary students as well we begin early and build relationships,” said Dr The New York State MBK Network includes 40 communities and Westchester is very well represented – with seven of those 40 groups operating right here in the county Local MBK chapters often collaborate on events and activities allowing the young men in the programs to meet peers outside of their school Local community partners also help bring together students in the program “The MBK movement is one of the most powerful opportunities we can provide to our students to assist them on their pathway to success,” said Dr “It connects our students with positive and successful role models who can share their life experiences and wisdom students and mentors discuss college and career opportunities while creating an action plan to realize their dreams Peekskill partners with other organizations and community leaders like the Black Diamonds Academic Success Program to expand students’ opportunities and horizons.” mentors will check in with their mentees once a week and they also hold a monthly Empowerment Assembly that features guest speakers who discuss obstacles they’ve overcome and their paths to success “There were mentors who helped me get to where I am today and it’s a blessing to do the same and give back to the students,” says Christian Zambrano Assistant Principal and MBK Administrator at the high school “MBK provides a safe space for students to open up and provide insights into their lives.” “The students know they have a trusted core of adults to support them at every level” adds Dr “Because of that they know they have safety in the MBK community.” The students have positive things to say about MBK “I think that MBK is a very important program because it lifts people up,” noted an eleventh grader in the program at Peekskill High School (PHS) and in the society and environment we live in today where people try to lead you on the wrong path it’s important when we have people we can look up to.”  and it has helped me turn my life around,” adds a fellow PHS student MBK members from Peekskill have visited the Culinary Institute of America the New York State Capitol and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as North Carolina Central University and Morehouse College Peekskill’s MBK students also provide community service students teamed up with Westchester County for its annual toy drive Young men in the program have also helped organize food drives and have actively advocated for environmental causes by participating in Earth Day activities A tenth grader at PHS says he likes that MBK “gives me the chance to help others with volunteering opportunities.”  the Peekskill hosted the MBK Summit at their high school entitled Pathways to Success: Navigating Life’s Challenges Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Mauricio is a true advocate for our MBK scholars and he’s committed to make sure the program continues to serve our young men.”  For many students in Peekskill’s MBK program high school is just the start of their success Peekskill MBK graduates can be found at Howard University studying engineering and at Hofstra University studying education One MBK alumni even became a licensed pilot after studying Aviation Sciences at the University of Delaware while another is gainfully employed after graduating from the NASCAR Technical Institute Daniels additionally noted the powerful influence of peer-to-peer mentoring within the MBK program as well as how the positive relationships and ideals formed during students’ high school years “MBK’s influence doesn’t end in high school,” said Dr “These relationships continue beyond graduation Some alumni even come back to speak to the students We would love to have a reunion of MBK alumni.” Students feedback about the program’s benefits is profound and speaks for itself with many MBK-ers saying they feel a familial bond with their fellow members especially when it comes to decision making,” said one PHS senior who serves as the program’s “fellow” member I’m really blessed to be a part of this brotherhood/family.”  RiverJournalOnline is the online publication of River Journal and River Journal North No part of River Journal or River Journal North including photos ads and text may be reproduced without the written consent of the Publisher Welcome to "Wiz Weekend," when the only two shows on the high school musical calendar across the Lower Hudson Valley are productions of the soulful retelling of "The Wizard of Oz." Archbishop Stepinac's production is ending its two-weekend run while in Peekskill — where "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" author L Frank Baum once lived — Peekskill High School opens a four-performance weekend with a rare Thursday performance which marks its 50th anniversary this year two wicked witches (one of whom has been flattened by a Kansas farmhouse) "I've watched 'The Wiz' with Michael Jackson It's one of my grandma's favorite movies," Houston says "Being able to portray Dorothy is honestly such an honor." While Houston has been performing in musicals since sixth grade — a string of productions that includes "Seussical," "Frozen Jr.," "Legally Blonde" and "Footloose" — this is her first leading role "I'm so used to being able to take a break off the stage and collect myself," she says when asked about the moment in the musical that she can't wait to get to she says there's no song like "Home," when three clicks of Dorothy's heels will send her back to Kansas to the fact that going home for Dorothy means saying farewell to the friends she's made in Oz it's basically leaving this world that I've been in for so long," she says like the song "Be a Lion," which she sings to the Cowardly Lion saying: 'You don't have to be like the other lions You can be whatever kind of lion you want to be.' And I'm singing that to Theo There might not be enough tissues by the time Houston reaches "Home." so I might just start bawling my eyes out at that point," she says with a laugh Stepinac being an all-boys Catholic high school in White Plains director Frank Portanova traditionally casts his net wide to find actresses to complete his acting company with members of "The Wiz" cast drawn from far and wide Three key members of the cast travel the better part of an hour each way to reach Oz on Mamaroneck Avenue (The ride is familiar: She won a Metro award last year as Brenda in Stepinac's "Catch Me If You Can.") attends School of the Holy Child in Rye and commutes to Oz from her home in New Fairfield Valentina Gonzalez likely has the most circuitous ride to Stepinac as she attends Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest But the journey to Stepinac involves crossing the George Washington Bridge or the Gov both of which are known for traffic tie-ups Archbishop Stepinac High School presents "The Wiz" at 7 p.m. Tickets on sale for Pedro's Open MicFans of high school musicals shouldn't miss Pedro's Open Mic on May 10 at Harrison High School. The celebration of the musical season brings together theater kids from Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students (plus tax) and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/pedros2025 the shows represented tentatively include: "Alice By Heart" at Dobbs Ferry; "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" at Valhalla; "The Music Man" at Pleasantville; "Little Shop of Horrors" at Carmel Lakeland and Ramapo; "Pippin" at White Plains Dolly" at Suffern and Hendrick Hudson; "Chicago" at Byram Hills; "The Little Mermaid" at North Salem; "Once on This Island" at Brewster; "Legally Blonde" at Ursuline School and Putnam Valley; "Into the Woods" at Briarcliff and Haldane; "Guys and Dolls" at Eastchester; "Grease" at Rye Neck and Mamaroneck; "Fiddler on the Roof" at Tuckahoe; "The Prom" at Nyack; "Mamma Mia!" at Edgemont and Iona Prep; "Mary Poppins" at Harrison; "The Wiz" at Archbishop Stepinac; and "School of Rock" at Walter Panas METRO NOMINATIONS LIVESTREAM: The Journal News/lohud the exclusive media sponsor of the Metropolitan High School Theater Awards will stream the Metro nominations live from the stage of the historic Tarrytown Music Hall at 7 p.m. The Metros honor participating productions on high school stages in Westchester Rockland and Putnam counties and in Bergen County They are sponsored by the Helen Hayes Youth Theatre The Metro Awards — June 2 at Purchase PAC — will also be livestreamed on lohud.com with blue-carpet pre-show interviews at 5:30 p.m We are now accepting applications for the NYS Trooper Entrance Exam! Please visit joinstatepolice.ny.gov to learn more a traffic stop was conducted on a 2016 Jeep Compass traveling on State Route 9 in the Town of Cortlandt for violations of Vehicle and Traffic Law within a designated work zone He was administered standardized field sobriety tests Further investigation revealed that two adult passengers and a 2-month-old child were also present in the vehicle at the time Quichimbo was taken into custody and transported to SP Cortlandt where he submitted to a chemical breath test that yielded a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.13% Quichimbo was charged with the following offenses: Quichimbo was arraigned in the Town of Cortlandt Court and issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Wappinger Court on April 30 NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham co-hosted a Career & Trade Union Expo at Peekskill High School on Wednesday 9 that was attended by more than 200 students.  The goal of the career expo was to introduce and connect high school juniors and seniors with valuable resources and job opportunities in various fields that don't require a college education including jobs in the construction and HVAC trades cosmetic industry and transportation sector first responder and law enforcement careers “The final years of high school are an important juncture in the lives of young people a time where they have to start making important decisions about pursuing a career or furthering their education,” said Harckham “This career and trade expo gave Peekskill students a valuable opportunity to see what kinds of options are out there other than heading straight to college It also provides an understanding of what necessary skills and education are required in many different fields of employment as well as the earning potential and avenues for career growth that are available I thank all the participants for making this event such a success.” Deserving special thanks for helping to put the expo together were Peekskill Deputy Mayor Patricia Riley and Peekskill resident Michelle Keller plus Jenna Ferris and Christine Buckman from the Peekskill schools.  Harckham co-hosted the Career & Trade Union Expo in partnership with the Peekskill City School District and the City of Peekskill which included 10 different local trade unions New York State agencies and more—MTA / Metro North CP Unlimited and Empire Training Center for the Arts plus Christine Buckman from the Peekskill schools.  Peekskill High School Principal Jenna Ferris said “We appreciate all of the participants that contributed to our annual Career Expo This event is always a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with our community and expose our students to the numerous pathways available to them as they explore their post-secondary options.” LinkedIn recently noted that participation in a career fair is a “win-win-win”: businesses and organizations can give back to the community promote themselves and find potential future employees while students get to explore career options that they might be interested in learn about opportunities they may not be aware of “I’d like to thank the Peekskill City School District for including the trades in their college and career fairs These union trade and career fairs are very important for our youth They educate and inform students that there are other opportunities besides college if that is not where their interest lies.”  “The growth of a nation is ensured by educating and supporting our next generation to master extraordinary things that we can all be proud of and support in our community.”  a Special Education Department Leader and Transition Specialist in the Peekskill City School District “It is especially important that schools not only prepare students to be college and career ready but also provide opportunities for them to learn about the options available to them once they graduate from high school We appreciate the support from our community and participants and look forward to collaborating on more events like this in the future.”