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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 04 February 2026

Created: 04 February 2026

Last Updated: 04 February 2026

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A group of compassionate young leaders is turning homemade cakes into meaningful impact with the mission of bringing “peace and support to children around the world”. PeaceofCakes.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run entirely by Scarsdale kids and teenagers who bake and sell nut and dairy free cakes to support organizations that help children in need.

“We believe every child deserves to feel safe, have shelter, and be healthy — both mentally and physically,” said Tomi Stainfeld, 10th grader, founder and director of PeaceofCakes.org. “By sharing cake and kindness, we hope to make hard days a little sweeter and help children feel they are not alone.”

PeaceofCakes.org’s philosophy is simple:“bringing peace to others should be a piece of cake”. The young nonprofit’s team manages the baking efforts, community outreach, fundraising, and distribution, and directs 100% of funds raised to child-focused charities in Westchester County, the New York City area, as well as globally. In five years, they have baked over 1,300 cakes and donated over $30,000 looking to bring greater joy and comfort to kids and teens in hospitals, shelters, and rehabilitation centers.

Youth Leadership Making a Real Impact

PeaceofCakes.org’s most recent campaigns supported the following charitable efforts:

● Thanksgiving 2024 Drive: raised $3,500 for Make-A-Wish Foundation Hudson Valley and delivered over 40 cakes to the Carver Center food pantry in Port Chester, New York.

● Valentine’s Day 2025 Drive: raised $2,550 for The Mark Shaparin Foundation and provided cakes to Open Arms shelter in White Plains.

● Halloween 2025 Drive: raised $1,750 to benefit Blythedale Children’s Hospital and donated 30 cakes to the hospital’s nursing staff.

● Thanksgiving 2025 Drive: raised $1,800 for The Child Mind Institute in New York City and donated 30 cakes to the White Plains Hospital ER’s nurses.

Valentine’s Day cake drive 2026 going on right now will benefit the Children’s Hope Chest - a wonderful organization that provides help and hope to children in our community suffering from poverty, abuse and neglect.

Every dollar raised and donated is fully directed toward organizations that serve children’s health, safety, and wellbeing.

How the Community Can Join the Mission

● Purchase cakes: 100% of funds are directed to child-focused charities.
● Make a donation: gifts are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
● Share PeaceofCakes’ work: help highlight the impact of youth leadership and community kindness.

About PeaceofCakes.org
PeaceofCakes.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization led by Scarsdale kids and teens with the mission of bringing peace, joy, and comfort to children in need around the world through baking, fundraising, and community collaboration because “helping bring peace to others should be a piece of cake”.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 27 January 2026

Created: 27 January 2026

Last Updated: 27 January 2026

Hits: 976

Captain Edward A. Morgan, USN (Ret.)
March 3, 1936-January 19, 2026

Edward A. Morgan, a distinguished attorney, naval officer, and public servant, passed away peacefully on January 19, 2026 at the age of 89. Born on March 3, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, Edward lived a life defined by integrity and service—to country, profession, community and family.

Raised in a Navy family as the son of an Admiral, Edward developed a strong sense of duty and discipline early in life. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School on a Navy ROTC scholarship in 1957, he served on active duty in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960. He continued his commitment for decades through the Naval Reserve, retiring with the rank of Captain. During his distinguished military career, he served on aircraft carriers and commanded several naval vessels, including destroyers. After completing his active service, Edward pursued his legal education at Harvard Law School, receiving his LL.B. in 1964, and later earning an LL.M. in Tax Law from New York University in 1971.

Over the course of his legal career, Edward practiced international tax law for the bulk of his career as a Partner at the New York law firms of Alexander & Green and Pryor Cashman. He was deeply engaged in the global legal community for over 50 years, and for decades was active in the International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Group of Accountants & Lawyers (IGAL). He served as Chair of the IBA’s Tax Committee, and was a Founder and Trustee, and later Treasurer and President, of the International Bar Association Foundation. Both in his practice and his commitment to his various professional organizations he was widely respected for his precision, judgment, and principled leadership.

Beyond his professional life, Edward was devoted to public and community service. A resident of Scarsdale for more than 50 years, he served his town in numerous capacities, including as a member of the Zoning Board, Trustee (1993-1997), Mayor (1997-1999) and even as Fire Commissioner. He was active in the Scarsdale Forum, the Citizens’ Nominating Committee, and served as member and Chair of the Fiscal Affairs Committee. He also contributed significant time and expertise to many nonprofit and pro bono efforts throughout his life, including, among others, the Museum of the American Indian in NY, the Huntington Free Library and Reading Room (most recently Trustee and President Emeritus), Scarsdale Historical Society, the Scarsdale Arts Council, the Scarsdale Community Center and the Women’s Enterprise Development Center.

A longtime member of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, Edward found great meaning in faith and fellowship and took special pride in his participation in the church choir. His other passions included baseball, telling stories to his children and grandchildren, and playing tennis, particularly on Peaks Island where he spent summers and his family has had a home (to which Edward was quite attached) for over 100 years.

Edward is survived by his wife, Rosamonde, to whom he was married for 22 years; his children, Thomas and Jennifer; his grandchildren, James, Ella, Reese, Maggie, and Chris; as well as Rosamonde’s children Katrina, Mark and Andrew, and their children, Kanna, Rui, Anzu, Jian and Andrew, who became dear to him in the last quarter of his life. He was predeceased by his first wife, Margaret O’Connor Morgan, to whom he was married for 29 years prior to her passing in 1995.

Edward will be remembered as a man of principle and decency, whose life exemplified dedication to country, profession, community and family. His legacy of service, leadership, and integrity will continue to inspire all who knew him.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday February 7th, 11:00am, at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale, NY. There will be a reception at the church immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Edward’s honor may be made to the Women’s Enterprise Development Center (914-948-6098, https://wedcbiz.org).

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Written by: Jack Capobianco

Published: 21 January 2026

Created: 21 January 2026

Last Updated: 22 January 2026

Hits: 541

In a week of multiple upsets by the Raiders, winter sports teams had another big week fueled by strong performances from teams and their players. We got all the highlights in the second ever edition of the Raiders Recap.

Boys Basketball:
The boys basketball team is heating up! The boys had a big 74-68 win on the road against Mount Vernon and then headed up for the Hoopshall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts for a two-game tournament. In the first game of the tournament, the team won 56-48 against Classic (Rhode Island). This brought their winning streak to four games. Scarsdale, unfortunately took a loss in the second game against a tough Staples (Connecticut) team. Junior Ryan Sussberg had a very impactful week with multiple 15+ point performances. Men's basketball is back at it Tuesday as they head across the Bronx River for a matchup against Edgemont.

Girls Basketball:
Scarsdale’s women's basketball team went 1-1 on the week. On Wednesday, the girls lost a close one, 45-39 against Arlington but rebounded with a big 47-20 win against Greater Lawrence in Springfield, Mass. In that game, senior Chloe Powell led the way with 11 points. The teams return home to play Mount Vernon at SHS on Wednesday and then travel up to take on Ketcham for a Saturday matinee.

Boys Hockey:
The hockey team continues to roll as they won both of their games this week and currently carry a 6-game win streak as well as a 7-2 record. The team’s two wins came at the hands of a 6-1 dominant performance against a Mamaroneck team that not many people thought Scarsdale could beat. Then, the boys had a 10-0 beatdown of Pearl River. Sophomore Leon Zhou had a hat trick (three goals) and senior Daniel Zhu had seven points, including one goal and six assists. Next up, the hockey team will head upstate to take on Broome at the farm which is an outdoor rink in Vestal, New York on Friday and then will play Ithaca on Saturday.

Boys swim:
The swim team continued swimming to new success and new places. The team won their only matchup on Tuesday as they defeated Pelham to improve to 5-2. Next up, the team will match up against Horace Greeley and Arlington to end the regular season. Both of the meets will take place at Westchester Community college, this Tuesday and Thursday.

Ski team:
The SHS ski team continued their strong performance on the slopes as they headed up to Thunder Ridge for a race. For the second race in a row, both the boys and the girls placed first. Stella Van Arsdale and Jayden Hernandez continued their strong skiing finishing one and two on the girls squad. Hunter Frank and Ben Cheikin moved up to first and second as both finished with career bests in the race. Liam Mancini got the bib as the "skier of the race.”

Girls Wrestling:
The girls wrestling team returned to action for the first time in 2026 as they hosted the first ever girls wrestling tournament at the high school which was a major success. Daisy Bennet, Imaan Maroof and Jackie Goldberg all finished first in their weight class. Margot Lombaerde finished second and Emma Steggall and Celeste Minardi finished third in their respective weight classes.

Boys Wrestling:
The boys hosted another Scarsdale invitational on Saturday which was another successful tournament. Junior Luke Iasello led the way finishing first in his weight class and senior captains Andre Duval, Henry Sperling and Ben Xiao all earned a second place finish in their respective weight classes. Truly a great day at the Scarsdale Wrestling Invitational which is becoming an annual tradition. Boys wrestling has two matches this week, including a big tilt this Thursday against Mamo.

Track and Field:
On Friday, a few runners competed at the Steve Brobert Invitational at the Armory. Many athletes who competed earned personal records including junior sprinter Raj Bhatt who earned a PR in the 300 meters and who sophomore star Ana Petinelli in the 1000 meters. The team was supposed to be running at the League Championship on Sunday but due to the weather the meet was canceled. The team will run again this Saturday at the Westchester County meet at the Armory.

Squash:
The squash team faced another tough defeat against Bronxville last Wednesday in Tuckahoe. The team will look to rebound at their next match this Thursday against Citysquash in the Bronx.

Cheerleading:
The cheerleading team is back with a competition this Saturday at New Rochelle as they prepare and practice hard for their annual competition in Orlando in early February.

Bowling:
The girls and boys bowling team had two tough losses this past week against White Plains and New Rochelle. The bowling team is back at it as they take on Mamaroneck, this Wednesday.

Gymnastics:
The gymnastics team has their final meet of the regular season on Tuesday as they get set for the postseason/sectionals.

Fencing:
The fencing team has continued their strong season. They have two more tournaments to close out the regular season, with one of them this weekend. Last Saturday, the team competed at a tournament and in the Junior men's epee bracket, Scarsdale fencers Michael Rvachev and Arthur Luk-Solarz competed in the championship against each other with Luk-Solarz coming out with the win.

As we near the end of January, a few teams begin to close out the regular season and head into the postseason, while other teams still look to do important work and make progress in the second half of the season. Stay tuned for more highlights about our winter sports as the teams all look to have another triumphant week ahead. Scarsdale10583.com and the Raiders Recap, covers all Scarsdale athletics!

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 09 January 2026

Created: 09 January 2026

Last Updated: 09 January 2026

Hits: 1382

The following letter was sent to Mayor Justin Arest to Village residents on January 9, 2026.

Dear Scarsdale:

For generations, the Village-owned Freightway site has been a topic of much debate and several unfinished chapters. Efforts to develop this area date back to 1995, 1981, and even earlier. Today, we are pleased to begin a proactive, community-led process to redevelop the Freightway site that keeps community input at the heart of how this vital area evolves. As we look toward the future of our Village center, we can build on what we have learned from past efforts and move forward together with a fresh approach.

Overview of our Most Recent Experience

The Freightway Steering Committee was created by the Village Board in 2017 with a mandate to “develop a community-based vision and set goals for redeveloping the underutilized Freightway site...” It issued a report in 2018, which led to a developer selection process in 2019. However, the Board paused the process in 2020 because many felt the community's voice was being lost. We recognize that much of the unease stemmed from the traditional model approach, where a developer is chosen first and then leads the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process based on their specific development proposal. Under that model, the developer prepares the EIS and the Planning Board typically serves as the Lead Agency (the body with the authority to oversee the environmental review process and evaluate the EIS). While this is standard for most projects, in this context it may have created a perception that key decisions regarding the scale and density of the project had already been made and that a project’s approval was inevitable.

We are flipping that process upside down. In simple terms, we are asking the community to help define what could be possible on the Freightway site before any developer is engaged.

By first conducting a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS), the Village Board is choosing to do the hard work of planning together and transparently with the community upfront. This is a broad planning and environmental review that will inform us of the type and extent of redevelopment the site can support. The Village Board will retain direct control of the process by acting as the Lead Agency, drafting the GEIS (through the Village Planner and retained land use consultants), ensuring that your elected representatives are the ones setting the standards. Together, we will analyze various "what if" scenarios by examining different heights, densities, and development configurations to determine the potential impact on our schools, traffic, and infrastructure. This study will establish the requirements that any future redevelopment of the site must meet.

To ensure this process is exhaustive and transparent, the Village will soon engage professional planning consultants to provide essential expertise in areas including traffic, school demographics, and economics. Most importantly, we are committing to a process that keeps you at the center through:

• Community Scoping Session(s): Formal meeting(s) where the community identifies the specific environmental, social, and economic impacts that must be analyzed in the study.

• Public Working Group Presentations: Open sessions where our consultants will present data on key topics such as school enrollment and traffic to ensure transparency while the study is being drafted.

• Community Visioning Workshops: Interactive sessions to discuss the preferred look, feel, and scale of any redevelopment to ensure the final study considers Scarsdale's unique character.

This approach represents a significant commitment of Village resources, but it is also an investment in community confidence. By funding this study ourselves, we ensure that the planners and engineers work exclusively for the Village, not for a private developer. While the Village will lead this effort, we are under no obligation to proceed; if the final study shows that redevelopment cannot meet our community standards, we will not move forward. After the conclusion of the GEIS process, if a preferred developer is ultimately selected, the Village expects to be reimbursed for costs incurred in conducting this study.

The Village Board invites you to be a part of this journey. Attached is a Frequently Asked Questions page to help explain how this new process works. Let us build something together of which we can all be proud.

Sincerely,
Justin Arest
Mayor

Frequently Asked Questions: The GEIS Process

What exactly is a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS)?

• A GEIS is a formal study used to consider broad planning actions for a specific area. Unlike a typical review that looks at one specific building plan, a GEIS looks at a range of possibilities.
• It allows the Village to set "thresholds," which are legal limits on things like traffic, building size, or school impact that any future project must respect.
Who ultimately decides what happens?
• The Village Board of Trustees serves as the Lead Agency. In this role, the Board determines which topics are examined in the GEIS, ensures the sufficiency of the data collected, and makes final decisions based on expert reports and studies.
• However, the GEIS process is designed so that public input informs the GEIS Scope (the document that sets forth what will be studied), the Draft GEIS (the document which explains the data collected and conclusions reached), and
the "Findings Statement" (the final document that sets the requirements for any future development of the site).
• The Board's decisions will be based on the data provided by experts and the consensus built through community engagement workshops.

How much will this cost and who pays for it?

• The Village Board is currently finalizing the budget for this work, which will be informed by the competitive RFP process.
• To ensure total independence, the Village is paying the upfront costs. This ensures the data is unbiased and the experts are accountable only to the Board and the community.
• Under New York State law, the Village can recover a significant portion of these costs via "charge-backs" to any developer who eventually moves forward with a project that utilizes this study.

Is "no development" an option?

• Yes. Every GEIS is legally required to study a "No Action" alternative. This study will provide the data to understand the costs and benefits of keeping the site as it is today versus various change scenarios.
Where can I find all project documents and updates?
• The Village has a dedicated project page on our website. All formal documents, including the GEIS Scope, Draft GEIS, and data presentations, will be posted there as they become available.
• You can also sign up for NotifyMe to receive Village email notifications about important topics including Freightway, here.

How can the community get involved?

• This process is designed to be public, visible, transparent, and participatory. The community can participate through the formal GEIS Scoping process, written comment periods, and public hearings.
• The GEIS study will be managed by a Village Center Transit Oriented Development (VCTOD) Working Group consisting of the Mayor, Village Board Land Use Committee Chairs, Village staff, and professional consultants. All findings will be presented in public meetings for review, with final oversight and decision-making by the Village Board of Trustees.

What is the preliminary timeline for 2026?

• January: Issue the RFP to hire the professional team with expertise in planning, traffic, school demographics, economics, and other relevant fields.
• February/March: Select the team and begin the formal Public Scoping process.
• Spring: Hold Community Scoping Session(s) and initial Data Workshops while the community is in session.
• Summer: Consultants conduct technical analysis and data compilation. To ensure maximum participation, no formal public scoping sessions or hearings will be held during the peak summer travel months.
• Fall: Present the Draft GEIS (DGEIS) for full community review and public hearings.
• Future Steps: The schedule for the Final GEIS, Findings Statement, and any potential Zoning Code changes will be determined after a DGEIS is adopted by the Board.