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Westchester 'Jeopardy!' Champion Wins 10th In A Row Westchester 'Jeopardy!' Champion Wins 10th In A Row
Westchester 'Jeopardy!' Champion Wins 10th In A Row Austin Rogers cannot be stopped. The Pound Ridge native racked up another dominating victory on "Jeopardy!" Monday, his 10th win in a row. Rogers, who has become a national sensation during his streak, goes for No. 11 on WABC Channel 7 at 2:07 a.m., due to the New Jersey gubernatorial debate.  On Monday's episode, Rogers, a graduate of Fox Lane High School, easily dispatched his two competitors, entering "Final Jeopardy!" without the chance of being beaten. The category was historical areas and the answer was: An ancient quote mentions this area and three population gro…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
What Is Hot Streak? Westchester Native Goes For Nine In Row On 'Jeopardy!' What Is Hot Streak? Westchester Native Goes For Nine In Row On 'Jeopardy!'
What Is Hot Streak? Westchester Native Goes For Nine In Row On 'Jeopardy!' Austin Rogers just keeps winning. The Pound Ridge native won his eighth game in a row on "Jeopardy!" Thursday night and has become a national sensation. His next game will be at 7 p.m. Friday on WABC-TV Channel 7. Rogers, a Fox Lane High School graduate, shook off an early Daily Double loss and ended up dominating in "Double Jeopardy!", entering "Final Jeopardy!" with a commanding lead. In "Final Jeopardy!", Rogers correctly answered: he played Shakespearean title characters 4 times, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations each time with: who is Laur…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Westchester Native Goes Viral As 'Jeopardy!' Win Streak Continues Westchester Native Goes Viral As 'Jeopardy!' Win Streak Continues
Westchester Native Goes Viral As 'Jeopardy!' Win Streak Continues Maybe it's the suits. Or his intense dislike of the band, Eagles. Or the devil-may-care approach to Daily Doubles. Either way, Austin Rogers, who grew up in Pound Ridge, has become a national sensation as his winning streak on "Jeopardy" has reached seven games and he's won $278,300. Rogers goes for his 8th win Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. on WABC-TV Channel 7. Rogers auditioned for the show via the online exam and then attended an in-person audition last October. In April, he got a call from producers inviting him to appear on the show. He knew he was going to do well. "They …

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Westchester Native Stars On 'Jeopardy!' Westchester Native Stars On 'Jeopardy!'
Westchester Native Stars On 'Jeopardy!' The answer: This Westchester native has become the latest "Jeopardy!" contestant to win over America. The question: Who is Austin Rogers? Rogers, who lived in Westchester when his dad worked as a park ranger at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is on a six-game winning streak, having won $257,000. The bartender has also become a viral sensation with his antics on the show. He does funny poses when introduced at the beginning of each episode and makes gestures when he answers questions correctly. Social media has also been a fan of his suits, with people saying they look straight out o…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Former Miss Puerto Rico Yonkers Raising Money Following Hurricane Former Miss Puerto Rico Yonkers Raising Money Following Hurricane
Former Miss Puerto Rico Yonkers Raising Money Following Hurricane YONKERS, N.Y. -- Layla Vazquez wants to help her fellow Puerto Ricans. Vazquez, who was named Miss Puerto Rico Yonkers in 2010 when she was 16 has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to purchase supplies for the people of Guyama, where her family lives.  As of Friday afternoon, $1375 has been raised by 34 people over eight days. Since the hurricane, Vazquez, a masters student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has been unable to contact her family. "This is a human necessity, this is human survival," Vazquez said. Since the hurricane, Vazquez has been shopping for supp…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose late father, billionaire business mogul William lived in Bedford, announced Thursday she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. "One in eight women get breast cancer," Louis-Dreyfus tweeted. "Today, I'm the one." Louis-Dreyfus, who has won Emmys for her roles on "Seinfeld" and "Veep" said she has a supportive family and friends and fantastic insurance. "The bad news is not all women are lucky," Louis-Dreyfus tweeted. "So let's fight all cancers and make universal healthcare a reality." William L…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Harrison 22-Year-Old Hopes To 'Unite The World' With New App Harrison 22-Year-Old Hopes To 'Unite The World' With New App
Harrison 22-Year-Old Hopes To 'Unite The World' With New App Two Westchester natives are behind a new app, which officially launched Friday, Sept. 15. John Tambunting of Scarsdale, Adam Alpert of Harrison, and Isaac Zussman of Pawtucket RI are the brains behind Pangeamart, an app that connects gig workers -- those in the freelance space -- with jobs. It was born in Alpert's sophomore year at Brown University when Zussman, his roommate's friend, brought up the idea in a casual conversation after a frustrating summer looking for odd jobs. Alpert, a freelance videographer, thought the idea had legs and proposed some next steps. The two got to work but d…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
Funeral Arrangements Set For Westchester Motorcyclist Killed In Crash Funeral Arrangements Set For Westchester Motorcyclist Killed In Crash
Funeral Arrangements Set For Westchester Motorcyclist Killed In Crash WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - Funeral arrangements have been set for the Mount Vernon man who was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash in Scarsdale. Shortly after 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22, members of the Scarsdale Police Department were dispatched to a stretch of Post Road near the intersection of Wayside Lane in the area of Scarsdale High School, where there were reports of a serious crash. The operator of the motorcycle, 44-year-old Junio Aridio of Mount Vernon, was treated at the scene by the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and transported immediately to the Westchester Medical Center…

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by Zak Failla
Neighbors
Westchester Mom 'Rocks' It With Inspirational Messages On Stones Westchester Mom 'Rocks' It With Inspirational Messages On Stones
Westchester Mom 'Rocks' It With Inspirational Messages On Stones Tara Unger is hoping to bring more kindness and inspiration into the world -- or at least into her small part of Northern Westchester. Two days after the riots in Charlottesville, VA in August, the Katonah mom felt she had to do something to both help make sense of the world -- and teach her kids they are responsible for how their future will look. And so, she started painting inspirational messages on stones and leaving them around town.   "The hope was that someone having a hard day/time, walking with their head down, would spot one and smile.  "The idea was that the message o…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
Westchester Teenager Organizes Hurricane Relief Efforts For Texas, Florida Westchester Teenager Organizes Hurricane Relief Efforts For Texas, Florida
Westchester Teenager Organizes Hurricane Relief Efforts For Texas, Florida WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - While thousands in Texas and Florida are dealing with the fallout of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, an Iona Preparatory student is coordinating efforts to help some of the neediest residents who have lost everything. Bedford resident Conor Lane, a junior at Iona Prep, has organized relief efforts with the school’s Leadership Program to provide basic necessities to the residents of Texas and Florida who are still busy cleaning up from the recent rash of hearty hurricanes. Since the hurricanes hit land, students at Iona Prep, led by Lane, have been collecting items tha…

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by Zak Failla
Neighbors
Purchase College Professor Wins Emmy Award For Lady Gaga's Super Bowl Show Purchase College Professor Wins Emmy Award For Lady Gaga's Super Bowl Show
Purchase College Professor Wins Emmy Award For Lady Gaga's Super Bowl Show The Emmy Awards are Sunday, Sept. 17 but one local resident already got his gold statue. Purchase College Professor Dave Grill just received his fourth Emmy Award for lighting Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Halftime Show in the category of "Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special." The associate professor of theatre design/technology, a Mahwah, N.J. resident, won three prior Emmy awards for lighting design in 2002, 2013, and 2015. Megan Seibel, a Purchase student, had the opportunity of a lifetime assisting him at the halftime show. You can read her blog post…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
Westchester Singer Once Embarrassed By Disease Aims To Connect Women Westchester Singer Once Embarrassed By Disease Aims To Connect Women
Westchester Singer Once Embarrassed By Disease Aims To Connect Women SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. --  It's not every day an 11-year-old is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But even more incredible when that woman  -- now 22 -- gets breast cancer. But instead of wallowing in her illness, Bianca Muñiz is singing about it -- and raising awareness about the travails of cancer.  The Sleepy Hollow resident, who took voice lessons at Lagond Music School in Elmsford (and has been singing since second grade) started talking/blogging about her experiences as a way to help others. "The first time I was diagnosed I was embarrassed and wanted to pretend like it wasn't happeni…

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by Jeanne Muchnick