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” GOOD MORNING DENNIS AND TONNY FROM WHITE PLAINS NY USA, WHERE IT’S 85 SUNNY WPCNR DEGREES.

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS. WESTCHESTER EMPLOYMENT IS UP. 448,500 ARE ON THE JOB ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR IN WHITE PLAINS, 22,600 ARE UNEMPLOYED, ONLY  4.8%.

IN WHITE PLAINS, 30, 101 OF OUR WORK FORCE IS BACK ON THE JOB AND ONLY 1,200 WORKERS ARE UNEMPLOYED THAT’S 4% OF THE WORKFORCE BUT LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME WHITE PLAINS HAD 11% UNEMPLOYED .

IN AN EFFORT TO HELP THOSE WHO CANNOT PAY THE RENT, STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER, ASSEMBLYMAN CHRIS BURDICK AND STATE SENATOR PETER HARCKHAM HELD A ZOOM FORUM ON THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT PERSONS CAN FIND OUT ABOUT BY DIALING 2-1-1. THE PROGRAM IS FOR THOSE EARNING UNDER 80%  THE MEDIAN INCOME WHICH IS $80,000 AND ENABLES YOU  TO RECEIVE UP TO 12 MONTHS OF RENTAL PAYMENTS IN ARREARS, 12 MONTHS OF ELECTRIC OR GAS UTILITY PAYMENTS AND 3 MONTHS OF ADDITIONAL RENTAL ASSISTANCE IF THE HOUSEHOLD IS EXPECTED TO SPEND 30% OR MORE OF THEIR GROSS MONTHLY INCOME. IF YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR APARTMENT, CALL 2-1-1 TO SEE IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE

WHITE PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL HELD THE MOST MEMORABLE GRADUATION FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL AT LOUCKS FIELD. SEVERAL THOUSAND PARENTS ATTENDED IN THE STANDS AND THE STUDENTS WERE SOCIALLY DISTANCT SPREAD ACROSS THE FIELD AND GIANT SCOREBOARD SCREENS SHOWED CLOSEUPS OF THE GRADUATES AS THEY RECEIVED THEIR DIPLOMAS AND THE WHOLE SPECTACULAR WAS SIMULCAST BY  ZOOM SO THOSE WHO COULD ATTEND COULD SEE IT. IT WAS NFL HALFTIME QUALITY AND THE SMILES OF THE GRADUATES WERE BREATHTAKING TO SEE

ROSMARIE ELLER, PRESIDENT OF THE WHITE PLAINS BOARD OF EDUCATION IN HER ADDRESS SAID

“YOU HAVE ALL DEVELOPED A RESILIENCY THAT ENABLED YOU TO PERSEVERE. YOU DID NOT LET THE PANDEMIC DESTROY YOUR SPIRITS OR TALENTS. YOU FOUND WAYS TO BRING JOY AND INSPIRE EACH OTHER. YOU VOLUNTEERED IN THE COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL, YOU SHARED YOUR POETRY, MUSIC AND ARTIST TALENTS. THIS CLASS WAS UNSTOPPABLE. YOU GAVE US HOPE THAT OUR WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE. USE YOUR VOICE TO ADVOCATE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO HAVE THE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS IN LIFE. IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER. STUDENTS, YOU HAVE INSPIRED US WHILE WE NURTURED YOUR DREAMS AND YOU CONTINUALLY LEARNED EVEN WHEN THE WORLD AROUND US SUDDENLY CHANGED. YOU ARE READY TO PURSUE YOUR ASPIRATIONS AND WE ARE CONFIDENT YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THIS DIVERSE AND DYNAMIC WORLD.”

SHE COULD NOT HAVE SALUTED THIS REMARKABLE GENERATION OF GRADUATES MORE GLOWINGLY—ON HYBRID LEARNING FOR A YEAR AND A HALF OF SCHOOL.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DYNAMIC AND RESILIENT CLASS OF 2021 – EVERYWHERE.

THEN CAME THE WEEKEND WHEN PLAYLAND OPENED AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF AND DESPITE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WEATHER, COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER AT HIS COVID BRIEFING YESTERDAY ANNOUNCED  PLAYLAND CAME BACK BIG TIME THIS WEEKEND WITH 7,100 ATTENDING SATURDAY—THE TOP NUMBER FOR PAST ONE DAY ATTENDANCES, AND 6,800 ATTENDED SUNDAY 2,000 ATTENDED THE BEACH AT PLAYLAND …OVER TWO DAYS PLAYLAND ATTRACTED OVER 14,000 PEOPPLE. THIS REWARDS COUNTY EXECUTIVE LATIMER’S VISION THAT PLAYLAND CAN COME BACK. LATIMER CALLED IT A FANTASTIC WEEKEND. IT WAS AND PROOF THAT PEOPLE MISSED IT.

THE PIECE OF UNPLEASANT NEWS IS THAT GOVERNOR NED LAMONT OF CONNECTICUT ANNOUNCED IT&T HEADQUARTERED AT 1133 WESTCHESTER AVENUE IN WHITE PLAINS IS MOVING TO STAMFORD BY THE END OF THE YEAR GIVING MORE INCENTIVE FOR MORE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT IN THE OFFICE PARKS HURTING ALONG WESTCHESTER AVENUE. CONNECTICUT PAID ITT 2 MILLION DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY KEEP THEIR 57 EMPLOYEES; THIS ADDS PRESSURE TO THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE 701 WESTCHESTER 5 STORY ADDITION TO APPROVE IT. LAST NIGHT THE COMMON COUNCIL HEARD ABOUT THE SITE PLAN FOR RENOVATING THE ESPLANADE WHICH IS 5 YEARS IN GETTING GOING AFTER THE CITY ALLOWED THE ELDERLY RESIDENTS TO BE MOVED OUT PENDING RENOVATION. THEY ARE ALSO ADOPTING SOME CAPITAL PROJECTS TO UPGRADE POLICE TECHNOLOGY, SEWERS AND MORE.

STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER SAID IN AN INTERVIEW ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD LAST WEEK THAT EVEN THOUGH THE GOVERNOR HAS LIFTED THE COVID STATE OF EMERGENCY HE STILL HAS THE POWER TO INVOKE RESTRICTIONS ON CITIES AND TOWNS IF THE EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT COVID OUTBREAKS. SHE ALSO SAID THE LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO RECEIVE MORE DATA FROM THE GOVERNOR ON COVID DECISIONS. YOU CAN SEE THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW ON WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM.

FATHER THOMAS COLLINS, PRESIDENT OF ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC HIGH SCHOOL IN WHITE PLAINS IS CELEBRATING HIS 10 TH YEAR AS PRESIDENT IN JULY A MILESTONE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN