Scarsdale Marijuana Mom Behind Bars
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- Category: The Goods
A 45-year-old Saxon Woods Road mother is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after agents raided a Queens warehouse on May 20 and discovered a "sophisticated operation to grow and process marijuana with state-of-the-art lighting, irrigation and ventilation systems." The Drug Enforcement Agency seized 2,800 marijuana plants and large quantities of dried marijuana and charged Scarsdale's Andrea Sanderlin with narcotics trafficking, a felony that carries a minimum 10-year prison term.
At the same time as the warehouse raid, additional agents were parked outside Sanderlin's home in Scarsdale and saw a woman and young child leaving the house in a cab. They followed the cab to a shopping center where the woman dropped off the child and then returned to the house. Police caught the woman leaving the home with a bag filled with $7,900 in bundled cash. She explained that Victor Garcia, Sanderlin's boyfriend and the father of the three-year-old child, had instructed her to go to the house, take as much cash as possible from a closet and take a cab to a bookstore in Yonkers to meet him. Agents then searched the house on Saxon Woods Road and found $6,000 in cash and books on laundering money and growing marijuana.
Agents were tipped off to Sanderlin's activities after the arrest of five men in April for their alleged roles in a marijuana grow business operating from two New York City warehouses. Agents allege that the ring was headed by another Scarsdale resident, 50-year-old Stephen Haberstroh. Haberstroh and Sanderlin were longtime friends who had previously lived together in Queens and Manhattan. Between May 20 and May 27 agents trailed Sanderlin, driving her 2010 Mercedes-Benz SUV to and from the warehouse located at 58-15 57th Drive in Queens on numerous occasions. They were also tipped off to the marijuana plant by Con Edison bills for the facility which were running around $9,000 a month.
Sanderlin is twice divorced, and the mother of a 27-year-old son as well as two daughters, ages 13 and 3. According to the complaint, she previously rented a home at 96 Morris Lane in Scarsdale, a 6,917 square foot house on 2.35 acres that sold in July, 2012 for $4,855,000. It is believed that she also rents her current home at 193 Saxon Woods Road. Pictured here, it was built in 2009.
Little is known about Sanderlin in Scarsdale. In addition to her business interests she was an avid horseman and a YouTube video of her competiting in an equestrian competition remains online.
It is interesting to note that in Colorado retail pot stores will soon be legal, so if 
Sanderlin lived in Denver, rather than Scarsdale, she would not be facing the prospect of ten years behind bars.
Sanderlin is being represented by attorney Joel Winograd who also defended Steve Madden and Gambino crime-family soldier Michael "Roc" Roccaforte.
The story was broken on TheSmokingGun.com and quickly republished on scores of news websites and picked up on local television channels. Comparisons are being drawn between Sanderlin and the drug-dealing suburban mother played by Mary Louise Parker on the television series Weeds.
Cantor Turned Movie Star? Local WRT Cantor Plays Cantor in Hollywood Movie
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- Category: The Goods
Cantor Mia Fram Davidson of Westchester Reform Temple was at the park with her three-year-old daughter, Mikaela, when she got a call from a New York casting agent. He was looking for a female cantor to play the part of a cantor in the film version of Jonathan Tropper's novel turned screenplay, This is Where I Leave You, which would be filming in Westchester. A friend had given him Davidson's name and number. She would be needed on set for three days.
"I had to rearrange things at work, but they covered for me, and I was able to do it! I actually thought I was being punked until the moment that I showed up on set and it turned out that I was actually really in a movie. I wasn't sure it was really happening until I pulled up and saw the trailers, and then they started doing my hair and make up and I was seated in between Tina Fey and Jane Fonda."
As a journalist and a budding actress, I had to know: How awesome was that?
Pretty insane, Cantor Davidson agreed. "I was sitting in my chair thinking, wow, okay, this is really happening now."
This is Where I Leave You is about a Jewish family coming together for the first time in years, to mourn for their father, 
confront their problems, and, hopefully, make peace with one other during the weeklong shiva that follows the funeral. Judd Foxman, the main character, played by Jason Bateman, has recently split up with his wife, and has a tense relationship with his controlling sister Wendy, played by Tina Fey, and dysfunctional brothers Paul (Corey Stoll) and Phillip (Adam Driver).
One of the highlights was getting to teach Jane Fonda – who plays the matriarch of the Foxman clan – how to sing the song Hineh Ma Tov. "That first day we were shooting a Shabbat scene at KTI (Kneses Tifereth Israel) in Port Chester and I had to sing Hineh Ma Tov over and over and over again, for about a bazillion different takes. And then I taught it to Jane Fonda so that she could sing along with me appropriately, as if she knew it. They kept the two of us after, when everyone else was having lunch, and I sang a line and then she sang a line and they recorded her singing it so that they could work it into the audio of the film."
Davidson acted in three scenes, two that were shot at the synagogue in Port Chester and one set at the funeral, which begins the film. So, what were her lines, exactly? To answer the question, Davidson begins singing, "Heneh Ma Tov uma na'im...." And then adds that she also says the Sh'ma. "I was supposed to also perform El male rachamim, but it didn't make the cut," she added.
She said that she spent most of her time with Edgemont native Ben Schwartz (of Parks and Rec and House of Lies) who plays the rabbi in the film. "He's probably the funniest person I've ever met...and so nice," Davidson said. She told him the Jewish significance of what they were doing in the film – "and like how to put his tallit on correctly", and he told her why the cameras were moving and what kind of shots they were getting and what we were doing next, "helping me understand the filming aspects of the movie."
For the funeral, the cast spent a day and a half outside in the cold at a local cemetery. Tina Fey kept apologizing to Cantor Davidson about all the standing about they had to do in the bad weather, and for all the re-takes of the same scene.
"Half of acting is just pretending it's not cold when it's really cold outside," Fey explained.
"I assured her that it wasn't boring for me, and that I was totally fine and having a great time."
During the funeral scene, Fey, who plays the mother of three, has to hold a real baby, "and there were three different babies coming in and out, and they would be perfectly happy until she would hold them and then they would scream their heads off when she took them, and she would say, 'I'm here to torture you again!' and 'I swear I'm a good mom.'"
How can we not love Tina Fey?
Speaking of which, was Davidson star struck, or was she able to just chat comfortably with Tina, Jane, Jason and the gang? "It got better over the three days," she said. "I'm not naturally a shy person, I'm able to talk to anybody, but I wanted to respect their stardom and not go on and on and bore them with what I wanted to talk about." When the cast took breaks, Davidson says, they would sit together and talk about recent films and movie production, but she didn't feel a part of that conversation, not only because she's not in the business, but because as a young mom, she says that she hasn't really seen any movies in the last 6 years. "So I'd check my phone and email, and try not to be intrusive, but they were very welcoming and warm and happy to talk to me."
Overall, it sounds like Davidson had a blast. "They were the most fun three days of my whole life!" Davidson says, then adjusting her enthusiasm to balance it out with more meaningful life events, she adds, "Well, let's call this a close second to my wedding day and the days my two daughters were born!" Why? "I expected to be an extra in the film, but they treated me like a movie star...touching up my makeup, putting me on the cast list for the day, and asking me if I wanted coffee...it was the opposite of being a mom. I came home to "Mommy, make me blah blah blah...'so it was a fun escape from the reality."
After the experience, is Davidson ready to give up being a cantor in real life to play one on TV?
"Would I want to give up my cantoring to do that? No. I feel like what I do is very meaningful, and I enjoy my work a lot. But it was fun to have an escape for three days and be treated like a movie star. For three days. And I would certainly do it again...for three days."
Amen to that.
Columnist and blogger Julie Gerstenblatt writes with humor and candor about her life in Scarsdale, her friends and family, and the particular demands of motherhood and wifedom in modern-day suburbia. Read about her new book Lauren Takes Leave and keep up with the latest from Julie Gerstenblatt at http://juliegerstenblatt.com.
Trendy or Timeless? Clean Design Sets the Record Straight on Trends in Interior Design
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- Written by Claire Paquin
- Category: The Goods
This article was contributed by Claire Paquin of Clean Design in Scarsdale: Some styles in home design have staying power while others come on strong only to fade into obscurity. How do you know if a trend is here to stay or a flash in the pan? Claire Paquin, principal designer of Clean Design, a full service, high-end residential interior design firm based in Scarsdale tells us about five trends that are not trends at all, but rather classic and enduring design elements.
1 – Embellishment Using Luxury Materials
When is a console a showpiece? When is a light fixture a major focal 
point? When it's embellished using the most rare and beautiful materials available. Leather, marble, resin, shagreen, mother-of-pearl, specialty metals, shells, and silver and gold leaf are all used in design to enhance furniture, accessories, and even wall coverings. The materials take the ordinary to the extraordinary.
2 – Wall Covering
Sometimes my clients wrinkle their noses when I suggest wallpaper. My response? This is not your grandmother's wallpaper. Wallpaper has made huge strides in the past decade to remain current and interesting. These innovations are what allow it to remain an integral part of design. Along with innovations in materials, applications for wallpaper have expanded – I have used it on walls (of course!), in bookcases, to cover magnet boards, and on furniture to highlight shape and form. Wallpaper can be natural grass cloth, embroidered with sequins, metallic, hand-blocked, or digitally printed - just to name a few. The possibilities are endless.
3 – Lucite
I had a client ask me the other day, "Will this Lucite table go with my new credenza?" The answer is that Lucite goes with everything – which is why it will be around forever! It's the ultimate neutral. It's clear, crisp, and durable. It can be formed into almost any shape and is perfectly at home in the most traditional and most modern designs.
4 – Sisal Floor Covering
This is not everyone's favorite, but sisal will have its place in design forever. I wouldn't put it in a family room where it's fun to sit on the floor to play Monopoly. Nor does it work well in a bedroom where you want the ultimate comfort for your bare feet. However, sisal is perfect in many spaces. It's durable, neutral, inexpensive, and adds visual texture. You can bind it in all sorts of interesting ways - leather, embroidered tape, or standard twill in any color. It's also a wonderful layering piece. Swathe a large room in sisal and then layer on top of it – a smaller Persian rug to define a seating group or an organic hide or sheepskin to add some whimsy.
5 – Brass
You may have noticed that brass is back – in a big way. But did it ever really leave? The answer is no. Brass has always had a place in high-end design and now we are seeing it more prevalent in everyday design. Interior hardware, plumbing fittings, and furniture are all incorporating the warmth of brass. My recommendation if you would 
like to introduce brass into your décor? Stick to unlacquered brass. It will develop a natural patina over time as it oxidizes with use and exposure to the air. Unlacquered brass is more classic than brightly polished brass, which can look dated.
Claire Paquin graduated from Scarsdale High in 1993. She has lived in Fox Meadow since 2004 and runs Clean Design along with Ali Artale, her design assistant. Clean Design primarily serves Westchester and Fairfield counties. For more information on Clean Design, please visit www.cleandesignpartners.com, email claire@cleandesignpartners.com or call 914-725-0995.
Residents Object to New Subdivision on Garden Road Wetlands
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
Scarsdale had more water on the brain this week when a team from the KOS Building Group appeared before the Planning Board on May 22 to seek approval to build six new homes on an 8.4-acre tract that runs along Garden and Cushman Roads. These homes would replace two homes on Garden Road, one on Cushman and another on Woodlands Place. Sixty trees would be removed to clear and grade the property. An application would be filed to the Village Board to remove Woodlands Place, a paper street off Cushman Road, from the Village map. The group has been attempting for years to prove that the property's high water table should not prevent it from being developed and last went before the Planning Board on October 24, 2012.
At Wednesday's meeting a lawyer, engineer and landscape architect representing KOS came before the Planning Board to review documentation to show that their storm water retention plan could handle all of the site's runoff and would not impact neighbors on either side or downstream.
The lawyer drew a chuckle from the crowd in the room when she claimed that the "Scarsdale Village Comprehensive Plan shows that this is not a flood basin." She said that KOS had met all requirements and submitted a storm water plan, an erosion and sediment control plan, followed five steps to get a DEC permit, incorporated green technology, submitted a tree removal plan and provided for a maintenance bond to ensure that the Cultec retention system would be properly maintained in the future.
The Planning Board retained an engineer from D&B to review the KOS building and storm water plan. He testified that given the ground water level numbers he was provided the proposed system should capture water in retention basins and have it infiltrate into the soil. The developers claimed that the ground water is 6 ½ feet below ground, and if so, during rainfalls, the ground water would have to rise by three feet before it reached the Cultec basins.
However Robert Falk who lives at 3 Willow Lane, directly downstream from the property, questioned these water level measurements. Appearing with an engineer and a lawyer, his team asserted that "the property is a very sensitive area and that "the conclusions of the study were not meaningful if the underlying assumptions were faulty." They believe that the seasonal high water measurements may be higher than those submitted by the developer and asked the Planning Board to require a "deep hole water test" to assess historic water levels. Falk even agreed to pay for the test provided that it found that the ground water level was accurately reported by KOS's engineers. He wanted the testing done so that he could be assured that high ground water would not fill the Cultec system and prevent it from taking up space for storm water retention.
His team also asserted that the analysis was done during a period of rainfall deficit and that groundwater levels are far lower now than they were in 2007 when Scarsdale experienced 63 inches of rain as compared to just 27 inches in 2010-11.
Bob Reiffel, Chairman of the Middle Heathcote Water Committee, who lives downstream from the property also appeared at the meeting and said, "We have suffered damage because of the Village's inability to handle the water. Whenever there is construction it results in additional runoff. This is a wetlands. The measure of groundwater during a time of low rainfall does not give an adequate measure of the need for protection. The Village is struggling with a $2 million project to stop water from running into the bathtub in which our home exists. Until the Village has taken the necessary actions to alleviate flooding in our area you cannot let additional water get into the system."
Lika Levi of 21 Lockwood Road said, "Tonight I am sad that I have to appear in front of this board. I am sad that a property that is already wetlands is considered for more damage. We cannot let developers develop anymore. We cannot consider additional homes on wetlands."
Mona Longman of Varian Lane, across the street from the proposed development said, "I take offense at the idea that this is not a flood prone area. In 2004, 2007 and 2011 our cul de sac became a lake. Water came up and seeped into our homes. The infrastructure in this area is already beyond capacity -- I don't know how you can allow development in this area. If the groundwater rises to a certain level, the system will not function."
Jim Mittenthal from 104 Garden Road agreed with Longman, saying, "I take exception to the idea that this is not a flood zone. My home was damaged by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, by a storm on April 15, 2007 and by Hurricane Irene. The applicant has already clear cut areas adjacent to our home and it has impacted my property."
A lawyer for Allen and Barbara Bachrach of 99 Cushman came forth to ask for conditions be placed on this development that would preclude further development on the remaining seven acres. He said, "I ask that these plans be disclosed now. I don't know if they have further plans but this would be the time to share them."
Another resident of upper Garden Road said, "Our sump pumps overwhelmed often. I question whether water is a few feet below the surface. In my yard the water level is at the ground surface. My yard is a wet sponge. On Garden Road, we feel we are in a flood zone."
David Menashi at 111 Cushman Road said, "My property abuts the property. About once or twice each winter we have 6-8 inches of water above ground that creates a lake in our yard that takes about 72 hours to drain. This area is wet.
Planning Board Chairman Seth Ross gave all the attendees additional time to speak and then closed discussion on the matter. The Board's decision will be posted on the Village website.
Books that Mom Will Love
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How do you ensure that mom will have a great Mother's Day? Buy her a Kindle or iPad and load it with some great books, movies, and television shows. Then leave her alone all day so she can enjoy her lovely gift.
Or, give her breakfast in bed and all huddle together and enjoy your family time. And then leave her alone so that she can enjoy her lovely gift.
How to decide which books to buy Mom? I have created some categories to help you along.
For the Pop-Culture Obsessed Mom
The Love Song of Jonny Valentine by Teddy Wayne
Reading Jonny Valentine was like having a backstage pass or watching an all-access documentary about a make-believe superstar. Jonny Valentine is an 11-year-old pop star, a la Justin Beiber a few years back. The book follows him on tour with his entourage, which includes an over-the-top mom as manager, a tutor who cares about Jonny's future but is too afraid to speak her mind lest she get fired, and a big bodyguard with an even bigger heart. This book had me laughing out loud a few times, as it is filled with subtle (and not so subtle) jabs at the cost of fame and how much it seems to matter in America. Also, it is rare to find a writer who can create such an original and wholly real character as Jonny Valentine. For me there is Bridget Jones, and Holden Caufield, and a handful of others whose voices come through so loud and clear that I believe they are real people. And Teddy Wayne has done that here with Jonny Valentine. From the first page, I believed in Jonny, even when I didn't like him. Wayne succeeds in having Jonny walk that fine line between youth and adulthood - before he should even have to - which deepens what is already a wonderful and entertaining tale.
For the Hopeless Romantic
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
This book takes a sort of modern twist on a classic love story. Two people from very different backgrounds find their way to each other under extraordinary circumstances, almost like Beauty and the Beast. From Amazon: "Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he's pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn't have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?
Sort of sappy? Perhaps. But I loved it.
For the Mom Lost in Time
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline introduced me to an American past that I had not known about, the Orphan Train system that ran from 1854 to 1929, relocating abandoned, orphaned, and/or homeless children from crowded cities like Boston and New York to willing foster parents in the Midwest. The luckiest children were adopted by loving families, although many were often seen as cheap labor, used as farmhands and valued for their servitude. This work of historical fiction follows one such child, Irish immigrant Nimah (pronounced 'Neev') as she journeys to Minnesota from New York City in 1929. Interwoven with that story is a contemporary tale of Molly Ayer, a 17-year old foster child in Maine, whose last shot at redemption lies within doing 50 community service hours by cleaning out the attic of a 91-year-old who herself rode the Orphan Train many years before. Locked in boxes in her attic are the secrets to her troubled past. Quote Amazon: "Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful tale of upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected friendship."
A really interesting, engaging tale, and one that I think mothers and their teen daughters would enjoy together.
For the Mom who Loves Legal Thrillers and Page-Turners
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
If you liked Defending Jacob by William Landay, then this is probably a good pick for you. This book has a compelling premise and many plot twists and turns that kept me reading to find out just what really happened to Amelia. Amazon says: "In Reconstructing Amelia, the stunning debut novel from Kimberly McCreight, Kate's in the middle of the biggest meeting of her career when she gets the telephone call from Grace Hall, her daughter's exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Amelia has been suspended, effective immediately, and Kate must come get her daughter—now. But Kate's stress over leaving work quickly turns to panic when she arrives at the school and finds it surrounded by police officers, fire trucks, and an ambulance.
By then it's already too late for Amelia. And for Kate.
An academic overachiever despondent over getting caught cheating has jumped to her death. At least that's the story Grace Hall tells Kate. And clouded as she is by her guilt and grief, it is the one she forces herself to believe. Until she gets an anonymous text: She didn't jump.
Reconstructing Amelia is about secret first loves, old friendships, and an all-girls club steeped in tradition. But, most of all, it's the story of how far a mother will go to vindicate the memory of a daughter whose life she couldn't save."
Exploring issues of bullying, growing up, and mother-daughter relationships in a modern world, this is another good pick for moms and their teenaged daughters to perhaps read together.
For the Funny Girl Who Thinks About Escaping Her Domestic Life
If you haven't already read Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, what are you waiting for? This charming, comic novel follows quirky, once-famous architect Bernadette Fox, who, as the mother of a pre-teen daughter and wife to a Microsoft executive has sort of lost herself in the Seattle landscape of eco-conscious neighbors and annoyingly uptight private school mothers. Bernadette is anxious and a bit paranoid, which makes her true-to-life observations about the world around her hilarious and spot-on.
A great read, and a solid book group choice.
For The Mom Who Doesn't Like to Read or Says She Has No Time
Yes, there's a book for you, too! An Unexpected Twist by Andy Borowitz is a Kindle Single. It only costs 99 cents and is 18 pages long. I read the whole thing while waiting in a carpool line. Seriously! And then I was like, wow, I just read a whole book! I felt such a sense of accomplishment. I am sort of in love with the author, a political humorist and columnist of The Borowitz Report for The New Yorker. He makes me chuckle. Even in this memoir, in which Andy writes about a life-changing medical situation that almost killed him, Andy Borowitz makes sure we are all laughing along.
Quote Amazon: "An Unexpected Twist is in equal parts harrowing and hilarious – and a moving affirmation of what it means to be alive." I read it, and then my husband read it, and then my mom read it. Not to be missed.
For the Post-Modern Literary Reader
If you loved A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan or The Tenth of December by George Saunders, then Kate Atkinson's new novel, Life After Life, should be on your list, because it's on mine. I have heard great things about it and plan to read it next. Here's what Amazon has to say: "What if you could live again and again, until you got it right? On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war.
Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can -- will she?
Darkly comic, startlingly poignant, and utterly original -- this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best."
Have other suggestions? Add them in the comments section below. And happy Mother's Day to all.
Columnist and blogger Julie Gerstenblatt writes with humor and candor about her life in Scarsdale, her friends and family, and the particular demands of motherhood and wifedom in modern-day suburbia. Read about her new book Lauren Takes Leave and keep up with the latest from Julie Gerstenblatt at http://juliegerstenblatt.com.
