WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. December 4, 2006: In other action last night, the Common Council delayed action on the Mayor’s resolution asking the county to close and relocate the homeless shelter at 85 Court Street by tabling the resolution three months to the Common Council meeting of March 5, 2007.  It was revealed by Councilman Thomas Roach that the locations and costs of fixing the cross-leaks from sanitary sewer to storm drains and from private sewer pipes into the Bronx River — required by an agreement the city (and other municipalities) was about to make with the Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Conservation — had not been determined. Instead, the city is hiring a consultant to find the leaks.

Councilperson Rita Malmud would not accept a special amendment proposed by Councilman Glen Hockley to table the resolution only until February, and the vote went 4-3 to table with Councilpersons Roach, Malmud, Boykin and Power tabling and Councilpersons Bernstein, Hockley and the Mayor voting in favor. Mr. Hockley attempted to discuss the issue, but was shut down by City Corporation Counsel, Edward Dunphy, saying there could be not discussion of the motion unless it were taken off the table. Mr. Hockley asked if he could discuss the date. Dunphy said, only if Councilperson Malmud would accept a special amendment to her resolution. She refused. The question was called.

City Has Not Determined Where Sewer Leaks into Bronx River Are.

Councilperson Thomas Roach revealed in commenting on the consent-agenda approval of expenditure of $53,000 plus dollars for the city to clean up the Bronx River Parkway that the money was for use of a consultant to determine where the city sewer connections were leaking raw sewage into the Bronx River, the implication being that the city does not know where the leaks are coming from and that the cost of fixing the leaks has not been determined.

The Attorney General agreement holds out the possibility that the city can apply to the escrow fund maintained by the Attorney General Office to fund the city remedies, whatever they may be determined to be.

Mr. Roach refrained from informing the citywide audience that the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Attorney General’s complaint was that what was leaking into the Bronx River from the city sewers was raw sewage.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. December 4, 2006 UPDATED DECEMBER 5, 2006 12:31 P.M. EST: White Plains Police report their first arrest  involving possession of an illegal handgun under the new New York State law that went into effect November 1,  requiring a mandatory 3-1/2 year sentence for persons caught in possession of an handgun without a license. The arrest occurred the day after Thanksgiving, (10 days ago) at the Winbrook housing complex in the city.

In a related development, the Police Department has issued a statement on the issue of turning in illegal guns, the Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Daniel Jackson urges, “any illegal or found handguns should be reported to the police. It is important that they not be handled by untrained persons.”

Unfortunately, its a difficult issue and each case is unique. Citizens should call the 422-6111 general business line to make the report. If the gun is, in fact found, our job is to safely secure the weapon and investigate it’s origin.

Meanwhile, as reported yesterday, here are the details of the first arrest in White Plains for illegal handgun possession are:

Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Daniel Jackson reports on November 24 at approximately 6 P.M., officers responded to a report of a man with a gun at 135 South Lexington Avenue on the sixth floor. Commissioner Jackson describes the situation as “appartently” “a dispute in the hallway in which one of the parties displayed a semi-automatic handgun.

Investigation resulted in the arrest of David Pinnock, 34 years old of 135 S. Lexington Apartment 6-D for Criminal Possession of a Weapon after a .380 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene. Additionally, the Deputy Commissioner reports the arrest of Michael Giles, 27, of 86 Dekalb Avenue for Criminal Possession of A Controlled Substance after approximately 5-1/2 grans if alleged cocaine was also recovered. The Commissioner said any Criminal Possession of a Weapon charge would be prosecuted by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, the procedure being, he said, first determining if a felony has been committed then when that is determined the case is turned over to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution.

A Westchester County Police press spokesperson said in response to a WPCNR question on the possibility of planting  illegal guns as a method that now could be used by a person’s enemies to cause their enemies to be incarcerated, said that usually planting illegal drugs was a better way to entrap a person, because the sentence is longer. The press office was also attempting to get WPCNR a copy of the Westchester County law describing what circumstances were recognized as legal for carrying a licensed handgun.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. Interview with Kim Wood, University of Michigan Marching Band & WPHS Graduate. D ecember 2, 2006 UPDATED December 4, 2006: The University of Michigan is going to the Rose Bowl.  So is their crack marching band. Here, Kim Wood of the WPHS Class of 05, who gave us her impressions of the Ohio State Michigan game experience, gives her insights as to what it’s like marching with the Big Band, which prepares for each game just as much as the football team, learning complex formations, new each week.

KIM WOOD, WPHS GRAD at Michigan Stadium — “The Big House”

 One of the real flaws of network halftime coverage is they no longer show halftime shows, cutting away to sports wrapup shows which are sponsored. It is a shame, especially when you hear Ms. Wood describe some of the University of Michigan spectaculars when she discussed her band experience at the U of M with WPCNR:

Wood, a clarinetist, has performed in every halftime show for the U of M marching band this band of approximate 300 students. Kim Wood graduated with the White Plains High School Class of 2005, is a member of the Big Blue Marching Band. A few weeks ago she gave us an insight into her football marching season and performing every halftime show, which is something when you realize she has to audition for her slot on Saturday:

 “It’s really a great experience. Every week, the Performance Block is set. The Performance Block is the 235 people that march for Pregame and then a few more are added to that who march for halftime. Every week the Rank Leaders have to challenge a certain amount of people in each rank. If you’re challenged, you have to do the marching audition on Friday to try to stay in the block. 

Wood says it is very stressful – performing the music and the formation: “One line goes (marches and plays) at a time – challenging on pregame marching and halftime marching. On Monday you find out if you made the Performance Block.”

WPCNR, corresponding with Ms. Wood from the U of M campus, asked to tell us about the band: “There are 368 people in the band, including the flags, the twirlers, and the Drum Major. There are 40 clarinets, and I am the 13^th chair.”

 WPCNR asked about what they performed at the various halftimes of the year:

 “For the Ohio State game, we did a Led Zeppelin Show, consisting of Rock and Roll/The Ocean as one song, Black Dog/Kashmir as another, and Stairway to Heaven as the last. There were no real noticeable formations for that show, we did curves and diagonal lines.

          The shows where we created unique formations were the Wisconsin game Michael Jackson Show, where we made a script MJ with a fedora on top of it, like his fedora in the smooth criminal video. Then we formed a bunch of 10 big squares as shown in the Billie Jean video where he jumps on the sidewalk and it lights up.

         Our flags ran to each square and lit up the squares with the flags as our Drum Major ran to each square and acted as Michael Jackson.

          The show wrapped up to “Bad” like the graffiti in the “Bad” video. For “Thriller” we made 3 tombstones with the initials of the 3 teams we had beaten so far. Then we all zombie-walked over to our next spot and did a dance of Michael Jackson Dances.”

At the Iowa game, the band created a “march” show. Wood reports the band performed Berlioz’s March to the Scaffold/ Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis, John Williams’ March from 1941, National Emblem and The Stars and Stripes Forever: “We did very straight marching for this show to represent military marching, no curve formations or anything. It was all precise and straight. We opened an American Flag on the field at the end of The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

The Ball State Game was impressive for the band’s formations: “We did a theme song show with the music from Mission Impossible/Knight Rider/Hawaii 5-0/and the A-Team as one number, and Dynasty/I Dream of Jeannie/and Gilligan’s Island as another, and the Star Trek theme as the last.

      “We formed the M:I symbol. We formed Kit (the car in Knight Rider) and rotated the wheels, a big wave for Hawaii 5-0, and A-T-E-A-M for the A-Team. We created the bottle for I Dream of Jeannie and a ship that crashed onto a rock for Gilligan’s Island. Finally, we formed the Starfleet Symbol for Star Trek with Patrick Stewart (who played a latter day Dr. Spock) conducting the band.”

       Wood explained that Patrick Stewart was on campus as artist in-residency in Ann Arbor with the Royal Shakespeare Company. “Our Band Director got Stewart to come conduct us at the game for the Star Trek theme. He came to one of our practices as well and told us that he had been taking conducting lessons from the director of music at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was very excited, honored, and happy to be there and everyone loved it.”

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. By “Red Light” Bailey. December 1, 2006: For the first two minutes and 40 seconds of this game there was end to end action. Charlie Pavarini put an end to that.

Number 14,  Charlie Pavarini’s slick conversion flying in off left wing and taking a laser, stick-to-the-blade pass from Ryan McGee to Charlie from behind the goal set him up real nice about 15 feet out. He nailed it,  beating  the Pawling tender high left and tight inside with a forehander at 4:18 of the First Period  at Ebersole Rink Thursday night to start a workmanlike 5-1 Tiger win. Here Pavarini has lofted the puck behind the Pawling goaltender into the left side of the net. Ryan McGee who created the goal is just behind the goal line. Then the “Seek Line” of Phil Sigona, Tim Conroy and Rui Encarnacao took over the ice. Photo, WPCNR Sports

With the Tigers on the Power Play after a foolish “Hit From Behind” Pawling penalty, at 5:36 in, Phil Sigona took an errant shot from Rui Encarnacao on left wing in the far corner. Phil tentatively skated in along the goal line with no defenseman picking him up and took on the goaltender at point blank range. Phil savagely jammed the rubber in on the right side of the net through the tender’s pads between the legs, for a 2-0 lead 1 minute and 28 seconds later at 7:46 of the First.

The Tigers got careless at the 11:06 of the period and allowed Pawling’s Kevin Gaughran swooping in on right wing after taking a cross-ice pass from Bill Vitro to beat Mike Camberari off balance to make it 2-1 with 3:54 to go in the period.

With Pawling slowing down because of the furious pace, Rui Encarnarcao received a pass from Phil Sigona(Number 8) from the left hand corner behind the goal taking the feed about 30 feet out. Rui skated across ice above the circles, uncontested and fired his whip forehander at waist level past goaltender Schwartz to Schwartz’s right who appeared handcuffed by the hummer. Looking at this shot, Rui (Number 9) is about to fire the black laser and the goaltender appears screened by his own defenseman. Photo, WPCNR Sports

There was 1:57 to go in the period and it ended that way, 3-1 White Plains. Mike Cambareri’s goal-tending was outstanding in the First Period especially in the first two minutes and the last 7, making 4 very difficult saves to start the game on close-in shots caused by ill-advised cross ice passes and clearing attempts that did not clear.

In the second period, Pawling’s attack was consistently stymied by better positioning by the WP defensemen, Fairhurst, McCarrick and the relentless forechecking of White Plains forwards.  Pawling managed only 5 shots on goal. Meanwhile White Plains pressed the action on three power plays with the Orange and Black converting on power play number 3 with Tim Conroy sweeping in a loose puck to the left of the new Pawling goaltender, Andy Bardua.

The Mucker Mops Up! After Pawling’s Andy Bardua had made the initial save, Conroy’s work behind the net to set up an initial shot from the goaltender’s right by Encarnarcao, leading to the bound off the goalies pads and Conroy poking and badgering and whacking, swept it in for a 4-1  White Plains lead with 5:51 to go in the second period. It broke open the game. Rui Encarnacao celebrates! Conroy (12) just behind Pawling defenseman celebrate the hardwork. The puck is just to the left of the goaltender’s extended leg. Photo, WPCNR Sports

The third period saw the Tigers ice it early when Rui Encarnarcao notched his second goal of the night on assists from Conroy and Steve McCarrick just 2 minutes and 24 seconds into the period to make it 5-1. Rui’s second goal was very much like his First Period score, a blast from out front between the circles.

Mike Cambareri padding aside a point blanker from the right wing in the Third Period. Photo, WPCNR Sports

Cambareri sticks away another in the Third Period. (Seen through the scarred, scratched, and badly-in-need-of-replacing rinkside glass.) Photo, WPCNR Sports

Tiger Paws: The “Seek Line,” so dubbed by WPCNR because they “seek out” the puck, and it is a play on Phil Sigona’s name, had a great hockey night. Encarnarcao’s 2 goals gives him 6 for the season with 5 assists, Tim Conroy’s goal and assist gives him 2 goals for the season, plus 8 assists, and Phil Sigona’s goal and assist gives him 7 for the season with 3 assits… Mike Cambareri made 24 saves, Pawling’s two goaltenders handled 39 shots…Charlie Pavarini who got things started notched goal number 2 for his season…White Plains moves to 4-1. Next home game is Thursday night on Ebersole Ice, 5:15 P.M.

The WPCNR Stars of the Game are the three members of the Seek Line:  No 1, Rui Encarnarcao, Number  2, Tim Conroy and Star No. 3, Phil Sigona — the line that works for each other, scores together.

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. November 30, 2006: It’s sign up time for White Plains Little League for the 2007 Spring Season for baseball and softball. Children born between May 1, 1991 and December 31, 2001 are eligible to play. Parents can sign their young players up online at www.whiteplainslittleleague.com, or by filling out a Registration at the Department of Recreation and Parks, or by mailing in a Registration to the White Plains Little League. Cost is $85 for a children 5 to 8 years of age and $110 for children 9 to 15. In-person registration will be held January 6, 2007 from 9 AM to 1. However the vast majority of registrants find it much more convenient to register on line where you can pay by Mastercard or Visa. Registrants after January 15 will be assessed a late fee. The site also contains a calendar of events.