Bronxville's Sarah Lawrence College has the dubious distinction of being the most expensive in America in a new Forbes Magazine survey of colleges across the U.S..

According to Forbes, for the 2010-2011 school year, Sarah Lawrence College charges undergraduates $57,556 a year for tuition, fees,room and board, making it the most costly school in the country.

That doesn't include books, personal expenses or the $1,750 the school charges for accident and sickness insurance which the students must buy unless they sign a waiver.

Not surprisingly, some 65% of the college's students receive financial aid.

College President Karen Lawrence defended the hefty price tag saying "unlike any other college, Sarah Lawrence requires individual biweekly student-faculty meetings." "As a result," she added, "Our students spend almost twice the time in one-on-one discussion with faculty as students at other prestigious liberal arts schools."

In a further effort to consolidate services, Westchester County will soon  begin offering a Unified In-Service Training Program for police officers from all departments in the County through ithe Westchester County Department of Public Safety. The new program is being offered at no cost as a shared service to help police departments in Westchester lower their training costs.

Currentlly, each department in Westchester must pay for a minimum of 21 hours of refresher training to all of its members. The requirement is mandated by New York State.

Westchester officials say 2009 was a record-breaking year with the County reaching its highest-ever recycling rate of 61%. The majority of the increase is said to be due to a number of large local construction jobs, specifically the Ridge Hill project in Yonkers, which recycled a huge amount of recyclable construction debris.
In addition, more and more residents continued to recycle material after the County in 2008 began enforcing its recycling laws.

A major internet retailer is expanding in Westchester County. Online grocer Fresh Direct is doubling its presence in the County to provide service to 21 new communities. Fresh Direct offers farm fresh food at prices up to 20% lower than conventional grocery stores, as well as restaurant-quality meals delivered to customers' homes or offices.

The non-profit organization Grassroots Environmental Education, in partnership with the Pace University Academy for Applied Environmental Studies, evaluated a total of 43 communities across Westchester County and evaluated them using a 142 point checklist. Local governments and school districts were evaluated based on their efforts to address issues related to climate change, sustainability and environmental health.

Police in Yonkers are investigating an armed robbery at the Shell Gas Station at 1001 Central Park Avenue. The gas station was held up around 11:50 Sunday night.
Two employees at the Shell Station were approached by a man with a gun around 11:51 p.m. The gunman handed one of the employees a bag and asked for money from  the register. He fled on foot and made off with $700 cash.

Elections are underway today in 16 Westchester municipalities. Voters are choosing trustees, village justices, and  a new mayor in Buchanan.

Balloting is taking place in Scarsdale, Briarcliff Manor, Tarrytown, Croton-on-Hudson, Elmsford, Rye Brook, Buchanan, Pleasantville, Larchmont,  Bronxville, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Tuckahoe, Pelham, Pelham Manor, and Sleepy Hollow.

In Buchanan, Mayor Al Donohue is facing a challenge from Sean Murray.