Holiday Music

Katonah

The Sounds of the Season

By KATHRYN SHATTUCK

Susan Farley for The New York Times

UPLIFTING Vince Peterson conducts the Charis Chamber Voices at First Presbyterian Church of Katonah.

The new director of Charis Chamber Voices has chosen a repertory to fit the ensemble’s clear, rich sound and fearless approach to unfamiliar works.

Audio Slide Show: In Harmony
Music Happenings Around Westchester County
Related articles in: Long Island | Connecticut | New Jersey

Government | Yonkers

ACTION FIGURES From left, Kenny Nunez, 4, Nia Byrd, 4, and Mikal Grubbs, 5, singing out at Queen’s Daughters Day Care in Yonkers.

Anxious Wait on Financing of Day Care for 800 Children

By JULI S. CHARKES

A dozen child care programs across the county are in financial limbo as lawmakers spar over which will get money in 2009.

Housing | Mount Vernon

IN JEOPARDY Tenants at the Levister Towers may have to move from their low income homes because a crack has been found in the pre-war brick, Tudor-style apartment house.

Paying Low Rent, but at an Inflated Risk

By ELSA BRENNER

As the economy deteriorates, increasing numbers of landlords are encountering financial difficulties, and tenants are bearing the brunt.

Libraries | Greenburgh

TOUR Salvatore Coco, the library’s architect, noted its features.

New Design and Décor in Greenburgh Stacks

By CAITLIN KELLY

The new eastern wing of the town library is scheduled to reopen Dec. 15 after a $20 million, 22-month renovation and expansion.

The Arts

Entertainment

SWEET ’N’ LIGHT The candyland forest of the Winter WonderLights at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside.

Woodlands Turn Wonderland at Sunnyside

By TAMMY LA GORCE

Historic Hudson Valley lends its talents to making Washington Irving’s home an enchanted, walkable winter forest.

Pleasantville

New Educational Center Bolsters Jacob Burns Theater

By SUSAN HODARA

The new Media Arts Lab is equipped with 16 editing suites, 5 film studios, an animation studio, a recording studio, a soundstage, a library and a 60-seat screening room.

Dining

Dining | White Plains

A Polished Meal in a Fitting Setting

By M. H. REED

Any diner put off by 42’s false starts of last winter might give the place another chance.

Local Food

Your Holiday Table

Where to find local food in the New York region.

New Haven: Homegrown Flavor
Related Articles:
New Jersey | Connecticut | Long Island | Westchester

The Winemakers

Local Wine

A series of articles about wineries in the New York region.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Multimedia

Audio & Photos: Voices From the Home Front

After Jonathan Gordon left for Iraq, his young bride moved in with his mother; they wait together.

Multimedia

Audio Slide Show

In Harmony

Listening in at rehearsal with Charis Chamber Voices of Katonah, N.Y., as they ready for holiday concerts.

County Lines | Chappaqua

NOTED Dr. John Stine, a Chappaqua psychiatrist, in rehearsal.

Of Sound Mind and Tuneful Clarinet

By JOSEPH BERGER

A psychoanalyst stashes away his workaday outfit and picks up the clarinet — playing for pleasure, and to raise money for charity.

Times Topics: Joseph Berger

Generations

Deciding to Have a Baby? Easy. Picking a Name? Not So Easy.

By MICHAEL MALONE

Future parents hunted down a name that’s unique and has flair, but is also cruel-nickname-proof.

Parenting

In a Time of Worry, Value-Added Lessons

By MICHAEL WINERIP

Children are confused, because for many, nothing is too different so far, despite the troubled economy.

GREENING Lucia Firbas, a fourth grader at Riverside Elementary in Princeton, N.J., tends a garden at the school.

Sowing the Seeds of Gardening

By JACQUELINE MROZ

Schools are giving hands-on lessons in planting and harvesting and integrating the lessons with teaching in the traditional subjects.

Arts Calendar

Events in Westchester

The Soweto Gospel Choir performs at the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College on Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.

Events in Westchester

Real Estate

Westchester

A CHANGED LANDSCAPE Holly Hill, the weekend retreat of the late Brooke Astor, is on the market for $12.9 million. Zoned for houses on one-and-a-half-acre lots, the property is also potential open space.

The 64.5-Acre Question

By ELSA BRENNER

Ever since Holly Hill, the weekend retreat of the late philanthropist and socialite Brooke Astor, came on the market last month, potential buyers have flocked to its elegant grounds.