If there's one universal truth, it's that all of our bodies begin changing at some point. That's especially true for women who are over the age of 50. One day it seems like we're rolling out of bed with a pep in our step. The next, our emotions are out of control, our weight won't go down, and we constantly have hot flashes. If that sounds like you, don't worry â millions of other women worldwide are going through the same difficulties.
The fact of the matter is these symptoms are part of a natural process women go through. This change, called menopause, marks the end of a woman's ability to reproduce and menstruate. The average age for this to occur is 51, though it officially begins a year after a woman's final period. During this transition to menopause, estrogen and other hormones in a woman's body start to deplete When those hormones deplete, frequent and sometimes severe symptoms can manifest:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be scary for both women and their partners. That makes dealing with a hormone deficiency tricky because many symptoms are tied to nutrition, stress, lack of exercise, and toxins in your body.
However, if you're getting older and dealing with some of the symptoms listed above, have hope. A solution to your hormone problems may be closer than you think. Hormone replacement therapy for women may help correct imbalances caused by menopause. These effective, safe treatments help many women throughout the menopause process and may even help them reclaim their youth.
To live a healthy life, hormone stability is very important for women. That's where the beauty of HRT treatments for women begins to shine because it balances hormones that would otherwise be altered due to menopause.
HRT treatments for women represent a revolutionary step toward living life without the pitfalls of old age. However, at Juventee, we understand that no two women, and by proxy, patients, are the same. That's why our team of doctors and specialists provide personalized treatment options for women, combining holistic treatment, nutrition, fitness plans, and more to supplement our HRT treatments.
Is HRT the answer if you feel exhausted, overweight, and moody? That's the million-dollar question that we're asked almost every day. And to be honest, it's hard to say without a comprehensive exam by an HRT expert at Juventee. What we can say is that when a woman's hormones are better balanced during menopause, she has a much better chance of enjoying life without the crippling symptoms that other women feel.
At Juventee, helping women reclaim their vitality and love of life is our top priority. While some HRT clinics see patients as nothing more than a means to make money, our team is cut from a different cloth.
The key to balancing your hormones and improving your well-being is a process that we have refined over time. The Juventee HRT process consists of a comprehensive review of your health and hormonal status. Our team then customizes your plan and prescribes treatments, procedures, and supplements under the guidance of our local HRT experts.
At Juventee, we want to revitalize your health by promoting balance, energy, intimacy, and beauty. We start by assessing your baseline biomarkers and implementing a personalized plan to help you feel like your younger self. Our in-depth process covers many factors, almost like a web. Each component of that web works in conjunction with others to make up how you feel. If one area is out of sync, women can experience unwanted fluctuations in their weight, energy, emotions, libido, and more. Juventee is committed to evaluating our patient's overall health so that we may bring vitality and happiness to as many aspects of their lives as possible.
We've mentioned all the greatness that can come with an HRT regimen from Juventee, but what exactly are the benefits of HRT for women? Let's take a look.
We Work With
Unlike some HRT clinics, Juventee's HRT programs are carefully crafted and personalized for each patient. There are no cookie-cutter solutions at our office. Instead, we assess each individual's needs and customize treatments to help their bodies as they age. We replace hormones that are deficient and restore them to their physiological state using HRT pellets.
These hormone pellets are prescription hormones inserted under the skin through a simple in-office procedure. Each pellet is about as large as a big grain of rice. Once inserted, our HRT pellets get to work quickly. With this treatment, patients don't have to worry about applying greasy creams or swallowing pills. Instead, our pellets are metabolized by the body. That way, patients don't stress over taking too much or too little.
Remember, at Juventee, our goal isn't just to balance your hormones â it's to completely optimize your health and well-being. You won't ever have to worry about our doctors writing you a prescription and sending you on your way without any additional communication. Instead, we aim to be part of our patient's journey back to health and work with all of our HRT patients to do so.
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with hormone replacement therapy, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen levels, HRT may relieve symptoms of menopause and even optimize bone health.
But that's just the start. At Juventee, our patients report many benefits of taking HRT for women:
If you're ready to feel better and enjoy the vitality of your youth, Juventee is here to help you every step of the way. It all starts with an in-person evaluation, where our team will determine if HRT is right for you.
For many women, menopause is a difficult time filled with ups, downs, and hormonal hurdles to overcome. While menopausal issues are well-known by some, other women only know that menopause can affect their hormones. The reality is that going through menopause can mean more than moodiness and hot flashes.
At Juventee, we're big believers that a little knowledge can go a long way. With that in mind, if you're going through menopause or are approaching "that" age, consider these common issues. First, let's examine some alternative causes of menopause beyond age:
The most common reason for menopause is diminished, unbalanced hormones. However, menopause can also result from:
Now that we've examined some of the ways that menopause manifests, let's look at some common problems that females regularly endure:
If you're going through menopause and feel like life is a tiresome burden, you're not alone. Studies show that 15% of women go through depression to some degree during menopause. What many women don't learn is that depression may start much earlier, during perimenopause or even earlier.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, even without perimenopause and menopause as a factor. With that said, keep the following signs in mind. If you notice any, it might be time to speak with a physician:
If you notice any of the signs above, it's important that you understand that you're not weak or broken. You're going through a very normal emotional experience, which may be caused by hormone deficiency. However, with proper treatment from your doctor, depression doesn't have to rule your life.
You don't have to have hormonal imbalances to have mood swings. Indeed, everyone gets moody from time to time. For women going through menopause, however, mood swings can be extreme and happen often. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go together, resulting in unusual emotional changes and even issues like insomnia.
Estrogen production, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, affects serotonin production, which regulates mood. When both hormones are deficient, mood swings can become quite prevalent.
Fortunately, HRT treatments in Tappan, NY, work wonders for women because they work to regulate hormones like estrogen. With HRT from Juventee, women don't have to settle for the negative consequences that drastic mood swings can cause.
Hot flashes: whether you're a man or a woman, you've probably heard of them. Hot flashes are very common issues associated with menopause and manifest as intense, sudden feelings of heat across the upper body. Some last a few seconds while others last many minutes, making them uncomfortable and inconvenient at all times. A few common symptoms of hot flashes include:
Usually, a lack of estrogen causes hot flashes in menopausal women. Low levels of estrogen negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, or the part of the brain that regulates appetite and body temperature. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to assume incorrectly that the body is too hot. When it does, it dilates a woman's blood vessels to boost blood flow.
Fortunately, most women don't have to settle for the intense, unwanted feelings they endure with hot flashes. HRT pellet treatment from Juventee helps to stabilize hormones which may lessen the effects that hot flashes cause.
Staying healthy and fit is a challenge for anybody living in modern America. For women with hormonal imbalances, however, it's even harder. Weight gain is a concerning issue during menopause, but it can be manageable with a physician-led diet, exercise, and HRT treatments from Juventee.
HRT patients at Juventee benefit from health plans that keep hormones in check, making weight loss a real possibility. But which hormones need to be regulated to help avoid weight gain?
Millions of adults around the U.S. suffer from low sex drive, but that doesn't make it any more embarrassing to talk about. For many women going through pre-menopause and menopause, it's an unfortunate side effect of unbalanced hormones. Thankfully, HRT may help women maintain a healthy libido, even after 50. But what causes lowered sexual desire in women as they age?
The hormones responsible for low libido in females are estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, resulting in lowered libido in some women. Lower progesterone production can also cause weight gain, exhaustion, and other symptoms common during menopause. Reduced estrogen levels during menopause may lead to vaginal dryness and even loss of muscle tension.
Testosterone is referred to as a male hormone, but it contributes to important health functionality in women as well. Female testosterone heightens sexual responses and intensifies orgasms. When the ovaries can't produce sufficient levels of testosterone, low sex drive can happen.
The inside of a woman's bones is broken down and rebuilt by bone cells in an ongoing process called remodeling. This process is crucial for maintaining bone strength and health.
However, due to the loss of estrogen during menopause, this important process becomes unbalanced. Less bone is formed, and more bone is broken down. This advanced state of bone loss can be worrying for women, especially if they had an early menopause. With time, women may develop osteoporosis and a greater chance of breaking bones as they age.
Fortunately, HRT for women can actually mimic estrogen and progesterone, which may help prevent bone loss and lower chances of osteoporosis in women. That's huge news for women around the U.S., many of whom are battling early bone loss due to a lack calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients crucial to bone health.
If you are considering HRT treatments for women in Tappan, NY, you need a team of hormone replacement experts by your side. At Juventee, our knowledgeable HRT doctors are ready to help. Our team will answer your initial questions, conduct necessary testing, and craft a customized program designed to alleviate the challenges you're facing as a woman going through menopause.
With a healthy diet, exercise, positive life choices, and hormone replacement therapy, unveiling the new "you" is easier than you might think. Contact our office today to get started on your journey to optimal health and well-being.
Whether you prefer your cookies chewy, crunchy, or crumbly, you'll find them all — in more than 50 flavors — at Aunt Mia's in Tappan.Owner/Baker Maria Caputo likes to tell customers her cookies are special because they're baked with love. But I think it's more than that. Caputo has a fierce passion and commitment to her community that you can practically taste in every bite.My favorite — and the best thing...
Whether you prefer your cookies chewy, crunchy, or crumbly, you'll find them all — in more than 50 flavors — at Aunt Mia's in Tappan.
Owner/Baker Maria Caputo likes to tell customers her cookies are special because they're baked with love. But I think it's more than that. Caputo has a fierce passion and commitment to her community that you can practically taste in every bite.
My favorite — and the best thing I ate this week? The ever-classic vanilla sprinkle, though I'm also partial to the chocolate dot, the raspberry chocolate chip and Aunt Mia's take on the TikTok cookie, a mixture of S'mores and chocolate chip that, when you pull it apart, is full of marshmallow.
Also popular: Her crumb cake and chocolate-dipped items such as chocolate covered rice crispies, chocolate covered Oreos and pretzels.
Cookies, however, remain the heart and soul of what she does with flavors such as lemon, toffee, dulce de leche, caramel, cotton candy and buttercream stuffed cookies with sprinkles.
As Caputo tells it, everything she and her family did was discussed or done in the kitchen, which is where her love for cooking and baking was born. So when she got older and finally had her own kitchen, she put a TV in it and spent her days "cooking, cooking, cooking" with her favorite shows on in the background.
In 2008 she created a cookie recipe based on a bet with her husband. He said he didn't think she could make a better black and white cookie than what was sold at their neighborhood deli. She said she could.
More:Two Rockland restaurants make Yelp's list of 'Top 100 Taco Spots in U.S.'
It took a lot of batches and hours of trial and error but she "won," getting him to admit hers was better — and putting her on a cookie path she never in a million years thought would turn into a business.
After baking her black and whites for friends and family — and then for friends of friends who asked for them — she found herself baking a lot. And creating new flavors. And, eventually, in 2010, renting a commercial kitchen so she could sell them on a part-time basis.
In 2011, with her cookies steadily selling, she left her office manager job, googling how to start your own business and how to decorate a cake. Soon after, in 2012, she opened a store in Orangeburg that not only sold baked goods but fun gifts like candles, mugs, and kitchen items.
That was more than 11 years ago. She was in Orangeburg for 10 years before relocating a year and a half ago to Tappan. While her new space is larger — and has her "Life's short. Eat Cookies" sign front and center — what hasn't changed is her enthusiasm and love for baking. She also loves interacting with her customers (and giving out free samples). As she writes on her website: "I am surrounded by the most amazing people and for that I am the most grateful."
Address: 78 NY-303, Tappan, 845-680-2440, gourmetcookieshoppe.com
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; to 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Good to know: Caputo recently introduced peanut butter cookies, including peanut butter and jelly cookie sandwiches.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
GLENS FALLS - Tappan Zee needed a minute.A quick reset following a bumpy start allowed the Dutchmen to get right back to what they do best, exasperating high-scoring opponents. They locked onto New Hartford on Friday, posting a 58-48 win in a NYSPHSAA Class A semifinal at Cool Insuring Arena.The Spartans managed just 30 points in the final three quarters."Insane," Tappan Zee coach George Gaine said. "And we gave up two in the second quarter. ... It’s a special group, not in terms of th...
GLENS FALLS - Tappan Zee needed a minute.
A quick reset following a bumpy start allowed the Dutchmen to get right back to what they do best, exasperating high-scoring opponents. They locked onto New Hartford on Friday, posting a 58-48 win in a NYSPHSAA Class A semifinal at Cool Insuring Arena.
The Spartans managed just 30 points in the final three quarters.
"Insane," Tappan Zee coach George Gaine said. "And we gave up two in the second quarter. ... It’s a special group, not in terms of things you can measure, but you’ve got to beat this group. They are never going to give up."
There's one game left and the Dutchmen will play for the first state title in program history.
Class AA:Gomez-Parra the hero as North Rockland pulls off another surprise, advances to state final
Class C:Haldane moves on to state championship with overtime win
Tappan Zee was not itself defensively at the start and was trailing 18-8 after the first quarter.
All was right, though, after the Dutchmen reset. It only took a couple of stops to steal momentum. Sean Berrigan netted a dozen points during a 16-2 run in the second quarter, building a 24-20 lead at the half. After getting to the rim for quick points in the early going, the Spartans were suddenly having issues hanging onto the ball.
"Our thought was we were going to battle back," Berrigan said. "We’ve played tough teams. We’ve faced adversityso we knew what we had to do."
Tappan Zee quickly extended its lead after the break. Jack Maloney stepped into a passing lane and went end to end with the steal for a layup to make it a 30-22 advantage three minutes into the second half.
New Hartford took a timeout just to vent. It didn't help.
The Spartans climbed back within eight in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but Tappan Zee zipped through a weary press for easy Tommy Linehan transition points and was up 51-36 with four minutes to play.
"When they get angry we love it," said Lange, who typically draws the most difficult assignment on defense. "We smile and look at each other. It fires us up. When they get mad, we feed off that and we don’t stop."
Tappan Zee essentially starts five guards and will again be undersized in the final. That's become a badge of honor, too. Despite giving up inches at four positions on Friday, the Dutchmen outrebounded New Hartford 24-20. And they only committed eight turnovers.
If there's one concern, it's the start, but there may be a logical explanation for the first eight minutes.
"It’s the stage," Gaine said. "This is a rare stage for teams from Rockland County and there’s not much out there for us to see this is how you do it."
Berrigan was the offensive catalyst, finishing with 15 points. The defense picked up each time he scored in the second quarter.
New Hartford (16-11): Zach Philipkowski finished with a game-high 27 points. ... Colton Suriano added eight points. ... The Spartans were 4 for 16 from 3-point range and committed 16 turnovers.
Tappan Zee (25-2): Tommy Linehan paced the Dutchmen with 20 points, scoring 16 after the break. ... Jack Maloney added 16 points. ... Tappan Zee went 4 for 16 from behind the arc.
"It’s awesome," Berrigan said of the defensive effort. "We’re building momentum, building energy. We’re doing it for each other. Seeing them get all upset and angry at each other is nice ... but we’ll high-five each other afterward."
"That was probably the calmest I’ve ever been after the first quarter," Gaine said of his response to starting in an 18-8 hole.
"We’re undersized and sometimes we walk in the gym and people laugh at us," Lange said. "We’ve been hanging our hats on that defense all season. To hold teams to 40 or 50, it’s awesome."
Tappan Zee will play Section 5 champion Irondequoit at 8:45 p.m. for the championship.
Mike Dougherty covers basketball for The Journal News and lohud.com. He can be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @lohudhoopsmbd.
This article is not a scholarly effort, just a casual conversation to remind us of our history from the time of the American Revolution to today.Most Rocklanders know about Tappan's role in our Revolution and the ever presence of General George Washington. Think about the DeWint House and Carriage House Museum, the 76 House, the Tappan Reformed Church.Most Rocklanders know about the German Masonics Home and Park. The Home built for widows and orphans ended a long time ago, but the Park was and is the home of many festivals. The...
This article is not a scholarly effort, just a casual conversation to remind us of our history from the time of the American Revolution to today.
Most Rocklanders know about Tappan's role in our Revolution and the ever presence of General George Washington. Think about the DeWint House and Carriage House Museum, the 76 House, the Tappan Reformed Church.
Most Rocklanders know about the German Masonics Home and Park. The Home built for widows and orphans ended a long time ago, but the Park was and is the home of many festivals. The most recent being the fantastic Sons of Italy Italian festival.
Most Rocklanders know about Camp Shanks, the largest Port of Embarkation for our GIs going to Europe to fight the nazi army in WW II and later America's largest Housing for veterans.
But most do not know about what is happening right now.
As the more than 2,300 acres of Camp Shanks was declared surplus, much of which was in Tappan, the Camp became history with the exception of 15 acres, which were used as the Headquarters for the NIKE Missile Program created in the Cold War, followed by the Special Forces Unit Company B of 845 Engineering Battalion of the 411 Engineering Brigade of the US Army.
Time pasted and the 15 acres were finally declared surplus by the Federal Government for any one of the purposes of housing the homeless, animal shelter and medical purposes.
Since I was an unsalaried volunteer for Loeb House already creating and operating housing for homeless veterans, I and a few partners created the "Rockland Homes For Heroes, Inc." a not-for-profit NYS 501[c]3 charity to specifically build and operate housing for homeless veterans inasmuch as the "Last Stop USA" for our martyred GIs deserved a living tribute. We got the lease for 15 acres and built 8 homes on Western Highway, not far from where George Washington's Troops camped on more than one occasion.
When Orangetown, under the leadership of Orangetown's mystical Highway Commissioner Jim Dean decided to resolve the flooding and pollution problems of the iconic Sparkill Creek [and marsh] that ran through the town to the Hudson River, we happily turned over 7 of the acres in support of Jim's vision. He did it ! The flooding and pollution problems are gone !And it was done with an incredibly serene enchanting environment oasis of a pond surrounded with thousands of vegetation to purify the water all surrounded by a foot path open to the public. History has been made ! By the way, we are building another 14 homes on the other 8 acres.
Jim is inviting everyone to join him on Friday October 21 at 11:00 AM on Bogart Place just off Western Highway to officially name this oasis "Rockland Home for Heroes" and much less important name the footpath after me by Resolution of the ORANGETOWN TOWN BOARD
Theresa Kenny, Jerry Bottari, Thomas Diviny, Brian Donohue, Paul Valentine, all of whom made this history come true.
WHEREAS, John Allen Murphy served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps active/reserve for 14 years from 1961 until 1975, and;
WHEREAS, John Allen Murphy served 44 years as a Rockland County Legislator where he was elected 12 times, and;
WHEREAS, John Allen Murphy served on the Boards of Camp Venture (President & Chairman of the Board) — 44 years in one of Rockland County’s most respected and long-serving social services agencies serving our intellectually & developmentally disabled; and Joseph’s Home (Co-Founder & President) — serving the residential needs of our homeless; and the Loeb House (Co-Founder & President) — over 30 years serving the residential needs of our mentally ill; and the NYS Rockland Psychiatric Center (President of the Board of Visitors); and the Orangetown Narcotic Guidance Council; and the Rockland County Board of Mental Health, Mental Retardation & Alcoholism, and;
WHEREAS, John Allen Murphy is one of the Founders of Rockland Homes for Heroes and serves as the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors, and;
WHEREAS, John Allen Murphy was instrumental in the transfer of 7 of 14 acres of Rockland Homes for Heroes land to the Town of Orangetown to build a surface stormwater bio-retention basin to prevent the flooding of the iconic Sparkill Creek, and;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that in honor of the John Allen Murphy, the pathway around the Homes for Heroes Green Infrastructure Project is hereby designated as “Captain John Allen Murphy Pathway” with the intention of installing nearby memorial street signs to signify the dedication.
And DESIGNATE / INSTALL MEMORIAL SIGN / PATHWAY / ROCKLAND COUNTY HOMES FOR HEROES / HOMES FOR HOMES
Something spooky may be going on at Tappan's oldest [email protected] - Robert Norden hears things go bump in the night at the 76 House."I’m still trying to be a skeptic," said Norden, the restaurant's owner. "But I’m failing at being a skeptic."In the 30 years since Norden took over ownership, he's seen a preponderance of evidence — from staff, customers a...
TAPPAN - Robert Norden hears things go bump in the night at the 76 House.
"I’m still trying to be a skeptic," said Norden, the restaurant's owner. "But I’m failing at being a skeptic."
In the 30 years since Norden took over ownership, he's seen a preponderance of evidence — from staff, customers and paranormal experts alike — that the hamlet eatery might be housing some guests of the ghostly variety, despite whatever healthy skepticism he harbors.
"This is table two and this is the seat that, if it’s 95 degrees in the dining room, somebody will feel cold there," Norden said, standing over the corner table of the restaurant's front dining room, somewhat dimly lit and still largely composed of Revolutionary War-era lumber, on a gloomy Friday the 13th.
Haunted-on-Hudson: Paranormal experts talk inexplicable encounters Restaurants we love: Tappan's Old 76 House More: Sleepy Hollow Cemetery offers lantern-lit tours
"We’ll all be doing a staff meeting in the other room and you’ll hear a glass fall off the table," he said. "Nobody even bothers getting up anymore because it’s always that a glass fell off of table two and they never break. So you just pick it up, put it back."
The belief that the 76 House's past patrons might still be hanging around has become so entrenched in local lore that the restaurant will soon be hosting ghost hunting tours, organized by Ghost Hunt USA, with a May 17 kickoff event already having sold out.
Nearly 250 years ago, the section of the restaurant now occupied by table two served as the temporary prison of Major John André, the British officer hanged in 1780 as a spy who conspired with Benedict Arnold to surrender West Point to the British during the Revolutionary War. When his treachery was discovered, André was tried and convicted at the nearby Reformed Church of Tappan before being marched to the gallows on what is now André Hill Road.
It was about 10 years ago, when the restaurant was visited by psychic medium Craig McManus, that Norden realized the table's setting was a hot spot for potentially paranormal activity.
"He (McManus) just asked if he could walk around and see if he felt anything here," Norden said. "And his eyes went wide and he beelined it all the way over here, to this table here right here."
According to Norden, McManus told him the location was the meeting place for numerous spirits, one of whom is always there, counting silver coins.
Today, the restaurant's staff is constantly finding misplaced dimes on and around table two.
"A dime fell from the ceiling onto the book (I was reading) one time I was at that table," said Katerena Kampouroglou, a restaurant employee for the past five years.
And it's not just table two that's had restaurant employees witnessing otherworldly occurrences. Table 11, situated in the opposite corner of the dining room, which is the oldest section of the building, has also seen its fair share of unexplained phenomena.
The 76 House uses fireplaces for heat in the winter and, while closing for the night and shutting off the fireplace's gas valve, Norden noticed a man dressed in a white shirt sitting back in one of table 11's chairs. A bartender saw him, too, and, assuming he was staying for an after-dinner drink, began reaching for a bottle.
By the time either employee looked back up, the man was gone, Norden said.
On another instance, Kampouroglou said she was preparing to open the bar for the day while Norden was in the kitchen when she heard a deep sigh behind her back. Thinking it was Norden, she turned only to realize he was nowhere near.
She came to Norden with her experience, at which point he informed her that that day was the anniversary of André's hanging.
"It was the only time I felt a little scared," Kampouroglou said.
Even patrons will remark that their table settings have moved or mention shadowy or ghostly images appearing in photos taken at the restaurant, according to Norden and Kampouroglou.
Leading up to the ghost hunt tours, Tyler Evans, a founder of Ghost Hunt USA who will lead the night's proceedings, visited the restaurant to get the feel of the place.
A British expat, Evans said the site's supposed ghosts reacted strongly to him on account of the restaurant's rich history with the Revolution.
"When I went in there, just the things I was saying, we were hearing the knocks and the bangs coming from the kitchen and coming from the upstairs," Evans said. "And the staff said 'Oh my God. Every time you talk about this (there's a reaction)."
Evans' team members were stationed outside, he said, and asked for a sign that the spirits wanted him to leave. The streetlight outside reportedly blinked on and off.
"They told me about it and I came outside and said, ‘Flash it twice then if you really want me to go,'" Evans said. "And the streetlight directly outside flashed twice."
Kampouroglou was there that night and corroborated Evans' story.
Norden admits that much of this is hard to believe.
"But it’s hard to dismiss," he said. "Which makes it kind of weird. We’re brought up in a scientific world and this is just outside of it."
He's not alone in displaying a bit of uncertainty about it all.
"Some people believe it's haunted," said Mary Cardenas, Orangetown historian and director of the Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives. "I don't really know and all the times I was there, I can't say that I've seen any apparition or anything or heard any strange noises. But other people may be more sensitive to that kind of thing."
Whether the activity is genuine or a fabricated result of the area's long and bloody history during the Revolution, Norden said customers aren't being scared away.
"We always compete with this reputation of being this quaint, old, historic, haunted restaurant when our customer base doesn’t even care or know about that," he said.
What: Ghost Hunt USA tours
When: 7 p.m.-12 a.m. June 9 and 30.
Where: The Old 76 House, 110 Main St., Tappan. 845-359-5476.
Tickets: $135 at ghosthuntusa.com. The tours will offer a three-course dinner, after which guests will break into small groups and be led by a psychic medium to participate in investigations, tarot card readings and Ouija Board sessions. Seating is extremely limited.
The bridge is up, and tolls could be headed that way, too.The New York State Thruway Authority on Monday will consider two system-wide 5% toll hikes and raising the toll on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge 50 cents a year for four years — from its current $5.75 to $7.75 in 2027. If approved, the new tolls would take effect Jan. 1, 2024.It would be the first toll hike for NY E-ZPass customers since 2010, since before the twin-span Cuomo Bridge replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge between Westchester and Rockland cou...
The bridge is up, and tolls could be headed that way, too.
The New York State Thruway Authority on Monday will consider two system-wide 5% toll hikes and raising the toll on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge 50 cents a year for four years — from its current $5.75 to $7.75 in 2027. If approved, the new tolls would take effect Jan. 1, 2024.
It would be the first toll hike for NY E-ZPass customers since 2010, since before the twin-span Cuomo Bridge replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge between Westchester and Rockland counties and introduced Thruway drivers to the world of cashless tolling.
Monday's action by the Thruway's board of directors would trigger what is expected to be a year-long review, of public hearings and comment, and ultimately final consideration by the same Thruway board within the next year. Meanwhile, toll rates would be frozen throughout 2023.
The 570-mile Thruway stretches from the Pennsylvania border on Lake Erie to New York City. Tolls are collected without tollbooths, through cashless-tolling gantries that read transponders such as New York's E-ZPass.
The NY E-ZPass rate to cross the Cuomo Bridge would rise 50 cents per year, beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, landing at $7.75 on Jan. 1, 2027.
There are discounts for regular NY E-ZPass commuters who make 20 or more trips per month and discounts for registered Westchester and Rockland residents who use NY E-ZPass. In 2021, more than 30% of all tolls collected on the Cuomo Bridge were discounted through commuter and resident plans, Thruway spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said Tuesday.
Those vehicles without transponders have their license plates photographed and are billed at a higher rate through Tolls By Mail. And they'll be billed plenty, if this toll hike is approved. The Thruway would raise the Tolls By Mail rate differential — the amount paid above the NY E-ZPass rate — to 75% from 30%.
They will have company. The proposal would collapse into one the current two-tiered system for out-of-state drivers or those without transponders.
Drivers who use other states' E-ZPass accounts currently pay a 15% differential, not the 30% for Tolls By Mail.
If the plan is approved, both would be charged the same 75% differential. For example, a driver from New Jersey who has a NJ E-ZPass account and crosses the Cuomo Bridge occasionally would see their toll more than double. Today, they would pay $6.61. By 2027, they would pay $13.56.
The solution, said Givner: Open a NY E-ZPass account.
"Anyone, regardless of where they live, can get a NY E-ZPass tag and pay that discounted rate," she said.
Here's what a trip could cost you if you are driving from, say, Nyack to Tarrytown in 2027, after the full effect of the tolls kicks in. (Tolls are collected for eastbound trips only.)
Givner was quick to point out that the Thruway NY E-ZPass base rate for the Cuomo Bridge is dwarfed by other nearby crossings. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for example, charges E-ZPass drivers $11.75 off-peak and $13.75 peak to use the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel and Holland Tunnel. (The Port Authority unveiled steeper toll rates earlier this month that could go into effect as early as January.)
Givner also noted that NY E-ZPass customers are the most frequent users of the Thruway and receive the steepest discounts and that non-NY E-ZPass and Tolls By Mail customers pay the differential and use the system less. The differential, she said, "covers additional processing costs and incentivizes customers to get a NY E-ZPass tag for the easiest and most affordable way to pay their tolls."
New York is not alone in charging an outsized differential for Tolls by Mail, she said, noting the Massachusetts Turnpike has an 87% differential and the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s differential is 98% for Tolls By Mail passenger rates. But if all states adopt the use-our-E-ZPass-or-pay-more philosophy, drivers' glove boxes could soon be filled with different transponders, swapped out on state lines to save big bucks.
The Cuomo Bridge tolls aren't the only ones that would rise. Tolls along the entire Thruway would rise 5% on Jan. 1, 2024 and another 5% on Jan. 1, 2027.
"As a tolling authority, we receive no state, federal or local tax dollars to support our operations, and we have not had a system-wide toll increase for NY E-ZPass customers in 14 years," Givner said. "This is a responsible financial plan to ensure the authority will meet its growing capital and infrastructure needs for a system that is approaching 70 years in age."
The toll hike, she added, will still keep the Thruway's rates among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads.
"The Thruway base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike ($0.06 per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike ($0.11 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.14 per mile)," Givner said.
The Cuomo Bridge was the first part of the Thruway to roll out cashless tolling, in 2016, before the bridge was officially opened. Construction on the $4-billion bridge began in 2013, with the north span opening to westbound traffic in August 2017 and the south span opening to eastbound traffic in September 2018. The bridge was completed in 2020, when a shared-use bike-pedestrian path opened on the northern edge of the north span.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo named the bridge for his father, a former governor, drawing the ire of those on both sides of the Hudson River crossing. There have been petition drives, and bills introduced in Albany, to restore the name Tappan Zee Bridge, a nod to the native Tappan tribe and early Dutch settlers, who named the three-mile-wide stretch of the Hudson the Tappan Zee, "zee" being Dutch for "sea."