Editor's Notebook: The Week in Review

SUNY Purchase opened its doors to new students last weekend, welcoming 716 freshman from 27 different states onto its campus in Purchase. Students who spoke with Patch said they were happy and excited to be in school.

Last week we also took a look at the struggling business district in downtown Harrison. In the first installment of a three-part series we examined the present state of business in that area and how the town hopes to fill vacant commercial buildings. Check back throughout the fall as we break down the history of Harrison's downtown area as well as possibilities for the future.

The Harrison Police arrested a man last week after they say he stole $110 worth of goods from the CVS on Halstead Avenue and then attempted to return them for a refund. 

On Aug. 25, police say 41-year-old Allen Kenner entered the CVS and tried to return two boxes of a teeth whitening product, telling cashiers he no longer needed them. The store manager checked his inventory and noticed that two of the five packages of Crest White Strips were missing from the store.

When the manager told Kenner that he was going to check the store's security cameras he told police that Kenner fled the store on foot. Mamaroneck police later stopped Kenner at the intersection of Mamaroneck and Prospect Avenues in Mamaroneck. He was identified there by the store manager and arrested for petit larceny.

A commercial shoot closed part of Danner Avenue on Sept. 2 as a video crew filmed an advertisement in two homes on the street. The ad, which os for a Mars brand candy company is expected to air on television during the halloween season.

Harrison was under a tropical storm watch, issued by the national weather service, during the end of last week. Hurrican Earl, which caused damage in the Carolinas threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to the area on Friday, but drifted off to sea and never affected the area.

The Harrison School District explained to us this week that comparatively low test scores are a result of challenging special needs students. The science Regents exam scores of Harrison High School students in 2008 and 2009 were significantly lower than those of students in neighboring districts, according to a New York State report. But Harrison Superintendent Louis Wool said that the district is foresaking high science Regents statistics in order to give more special education students the opportunity to earn Regents diplomas.

In sports, we previewed the Harrison girls varsity soccer team's fall season. The team is facing a difficult schedule this year but hopes to advance into the Section I playoffs after a promising end to last season. The team's goalie Jackie Fonseca was also featured as last week's athlete of the week.

We look forward to bringing you everything in Harrison news again next week.