Pearl River Week in Review: Families Events Dominate Weekend, Orangetown Releases Tentative Budget

The Pearl River Special Education PTA brought chili lovers to the Central Avenue Field Saturday for its annual chili cookoff, but that was far from the only family-friendly activity this past weekend.

The Pearl River Gun Club, the United Sportsmen of Rockland County, and American Legion Post 1199 brought the annual Youth Outdoor Expo to the Anderson Field Complex in Orangeburg Sunday and the Carolyn Sullivan Foundation held its Celebrate Carolyn Family Fun Day Saturday at the Pearl River Elks Club in Nanuet. 

Those were just some of the stories we brought you on Pearl River Patch over the past week:

• Recent Pearl River High School graduate Shannon McKiernan will run in the ING New York City Marathon Nov. 4 as part of Team Fred, which raises money to support the fight against cancer Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. 
• as well as cuts in personnel and services. The town is dealing with expenses shifted from the county level and rising costs of police salaries, pensions and benefits. 
• For a look at Pearl River athletics over the weekend, check out this article, which focuses on the girls cross country team's victory in the Class D race at the 3rd Annual Six Flags Wild Safari Cross Country Invitational Saturday. The Pirates were also named the meet's top girls team overall and Kelly Hayes won her race with the second-best time ever on the course. 
• Marissa Scognamiglio scored one goal and set up another in Pearl River's 3-1 girls soccer victory at home against Albertus Magnus last Thursday. 
• Richard Iannuzzi, president of the New York State Union of Teachers said that the NYSUT would be challenging the state-mandated tax levy cap, most likely around the beginning of 2013. Full audio of his appearance on Capital Pressroom can be found here. According to the New York State School Boards Association, 92 percent of the districts in the state came in at or below the cap for 2012-13.
• The Pearl River School District Board of Education approved the distribution of district funds at a meeting Sept. 24, including placing $633,400 left over from the 2011-12 budget in two reserve funds. The surplus was a result of the $1 million settlement during the year with Olympus Surgical and Industrial America Inc. 
• The Town of Orangetown announced details of its open house Saturday, Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the town hall. 
• Patch reminded readers that Sept. 26 was the final day to register for this year's police exams.