WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.
Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the New York Forward Loan Fund 2 program for qualifying small businesses and nonprofits. After broadening criteria for qualifications, and with even greater resources allocated for the program, the enhanced fund represents an expanded commitment to New York State’s small businesses. Qualified recipients with fewer than 100 employees and less than $5 million in gross annual revenue can apply for loans up to $150,000 with affordable, fixed-rate interest rates.
Part of New York’s State Small Business Credit Initiative efforts led by Empire State Development, the fund will be in place for the next eight years and will focus on helping small businesses and nonprofits, particularly those in low-income and historically underbanked communities and rural areas access flexible working capital to cover a wide range of expenses, from payroll and marketing to facility renovations. Additionally, free support services from experts will work with businesses throughout the life of the loan.
The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services has experienced Veterans’ Services Benefit Advisors ready to help complete applications, obtain necessary documentation, file claims for veterans’ benefits and more. To schedule an appointment with a Veterans’ Services Benefit Advisor, visit https://veterans.ny.gov/.
Home & Business Damage Self-Reporting
In collaboration with affected counties, New York State has developed an online form allowing residents to self-report damages to their homes and/or businesses. The purpose of this form is solely to collect information that may help State and local officials identify supplemental damages to develop and augment potential requests for available federal assistance programs. Please note that this form is not an application for relief programs.
If you experienced storm damage due to the recent heavy rainfall, I encourage you to respond to the survey. You can access the online form here.
Kingsland Point Park Public Hearing
Representatives from Westchester County and the Village of Sleepy Hollow will be holding a public forum to discuss the future of Kingsland Point Park. You can share your views with them by email to communications@westchestercountyny.gov. More information is available here.
WPCNR WASHINGTON REPORT.From Senator Kirsten Gillebrand. july 22, 2023:
In the wake of severe flooding that devastated the Hudson Valley, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand brought Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to Mount Vernon for a roundtable discussion with state and local leaders on federal investments in resilient infrastructure. Senator Gillibrand is committed to helping the Hudson Valley recover from the flooding and her visit with Mitch Landrieu will help support infrastructure investment throughout the region.
Senator Gillibrand and Mitch Landrieu were joined by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Shelley Mayer, State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, State Senator Jamaal Bailey, Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow, Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky, Assemblymember Chris Burdick, Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne and Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
“This week, I had the opportunity to see firsthand the devastation from the recent flooding in the Hudson Valley,” said Senator Gillibrand.
“As climate change makes severe storms like this one more frequent, we have to rebuild smarter – that means investing in climate resilient infrastructure that can weather floods, hurricanes, blizzards, and other extreme weather events. I’m proud to have delivered millions in federal funding to upgrade New York’s roads and bridges, but there is still more to do. This roundtable was an opportunity for me and for Coordinator Landrieu to hear directly from local leaders about the most pressing needs facing their communities, and I look forward to continuing to work with all leaders present today to build stronger, more resilient infrastructure in the Hudson Valley and beyond.”
“As the former Mayor of New Orleans, I know all too well the devastation that can follow a severe storm and flooding, and I know the tireless work it takes to rebuild communities back better than ever before,” said Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda as well as the leadership of Senator Gillibrand and Mayor Shawyn Patterson Howard, we are making historic investments in resilience across the Hudson Valley. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to continuing our efforts to ensure that when extreme weather hits, our infrastructure stands strong.”
“Resilient infrastructure is the backbone of a thriving society, weathering the storms of uncertainty and adversity. It forms the bedrock of progress, safeguarding communities, and empowering economies to withstand challenges and emerge stronger than before. In an ever-changing world, investing in resilient infrastructure is a testament to our commitment to a sustainable and secure future. I am grateful to Senator Gillibrand for bringing together such a powerful and committed group of leaders to ensure local, county, state, and federal governments are moving in lockstep toward strengthening our infrastructure now and for the future.” State Senator Nathalia Fernandez.
“New York State has some of the oldest infrastructure in the county, which is why the need for repair here is so great. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law gives us an important opportunity to make the lives of our residents better in the day-to-day ways that people expect of their government. Our roads, trains, broadband, and sewers need to be in good working order, and they need to function despite the heavier rainfalls and extended heatwaves that are becoming commonplace in our region. The people of Mount Vernon, or anywhere else, should never again have to encounter raw sewage in their basements due to a lack of funding for infrastructure maintenance. I thank Senator Gillibrand for her leadership in seeing that New York receives its fair share if infrastructure investment, while also seeking to address the disparities that have plagued our most impacted communities.” Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky.
“I am delighted that Senator Gillibrand and White House Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu were here in Westchester to address our pressing infrastructure needs. Top amongst those needs in my district is the implementation of the key I 684/84 Department of Transportation study, which identifies a means of solving the severe congestion at the 684/84 interchange that is leading to traffic overflowing onto local roads. We also have recently seen our share of flooding and storm damage, which will only increase due to climate change. I was glad to participate in a fruitful discussion on the growing infrastructure needs of Westchester.”Assemblymember Chris Burdick.
“Westchester County is home to many thoroughfares that are named after bodies of water – so when it rains, we are always susceptible to major flooding. The same can be said for many of our municipalities, even if they aren’t named after bodies of water. Events like this bring even greater attention to our need for federal dollars to combat the rising tide of climate change impacting our County. I thank Mitch Landrieu, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Schumer and our entire Congressional delegation for their attention to Westchester’s needs and efforts to remedy them.”Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
TODAY: IN THE WAKE OF SEVERE FLOODING, GILLIBRAND TO BRING SENIOR ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT BIDEN AND WHITE HOUSE INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATOR MITCH LANDRIEU TO MOUNT VERNON FOR ROUNDTABLE ON RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. – TODAY, Friday, July 21st at 3:50 PM: In the wake of severe flooding that devastated the Hudson Valley, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will bring Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to Mount Vernon for a roundtable discussion with state and local leaders on federal investments in resilient infrastructure. Senator Gillibrand is committed to helping the Hudson Valley recover from the flooding and her visit with Mitch Landrieu will help support infrastructure investment throughout the region.
Senator Gillibrand and Mitch Landrieu will be joined by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Shelley Mayer, State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow, Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky, Assemblymember Chris Burdick, and Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS JOHN IORIS, AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STEPHEN FERRI ON THE WHITE PLAINS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 20TH SEASON AND CHAIRMAN OF THE ORGANIZATION JOHN IORIS ON ITS FUTURE
JOHN IORIS, CHAIR & PRESIDENT HAVE THEIR SAY!
THE KEY TO TURNING AROUND THE THEATRE INTO A PROFITABLE OPERATION
THE NEW SHOWS COMING UP AT WESTCHESTER’S ONLY FULLTIME PROFESSIONAL THEATRE
TONIGHT’S PROGRAM MAY ALSO BE SEEN WORLDWIDE ON WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG
Our excellent YLE copy editor is out this week. So, I read and reread this about a thousand times and even downloaded an AI grammar program. I guarantee there are still mistakes. I think we will all live, but consider this your warning.
Yesterday, the New York Timessuggested the pandemic is over. We are in a very different place. And, I understand the desire for a “thank goodness that’s done” mindset. And I hope COVID-19 isn’t always on top of your mind.
But COVID-19 is still around. I hope you continue to join me on the scientific discovery ride. Here is your state of affairs.
United States
After a few quiet months, COVID-19 is increasing in the Southern and Western United States. Three early indicators—wastewater, ED visits, and test positivity— are increasing uniformly, albeit from low absolute levels. Using back-of-the-napkin math, this equates to ~1 in 1,180 people infected today. If you squint really hard, hospitalizations are starting to increase, too.
Note this is for Region 6— which includes several Southern states. Source: CDC
This isn’t surprising; we’ve consistently seen a Southern summer wave throughout the pandemic. While the latest Omicron subvariant soup may partly drive this uptick, it’s more likely behavior; people moving inside due to ridiculous heat.
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater by region (pink=South) with added annotations by KKJ
Since late January 2023, excess deaths have reached pre-pandemic levels. This has been a massive reprieve.
(CDC)
I am surprised; I always assumed that we would need to increase the excess death baseline given we added a new threat to our repertoire. But, for now, we don’t. Perhaps this is due to a combination of things:
You can’t die twice. COVID-19 has killed the most medically fragile people over the last three years, and those premature deaths lead to fewer deaths today. In this case, excess deaths could rebound in coming years;
Population-level immunity. Hybrid immunity is holding up greater than we expected, even among older Americans;
Relative. COVID-19 deaths are so small relative to the entire burden of death that it’s immaterial. It’s a fraction of all daily deaths and within the margin of error;
Another type of death could be decreasing, thus canceling out the impact of COVID-19. (I don’t think this is likely.)
This will be fascinating to follow given the upcoming respiratory season, COVID-19 still settling into seasonality, millions of people losing health insurance, and other things, like the heat wave. I don’t think excess deaths has settled just yet.
International surveillance
Zooming out, eyes are on two particular places around the globe:
Okinawa, Japan. COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to increase exponentially, surpassing their winter wave and overwhelming hospitals. This is driven by XBB, changing behavior (big holiday), and a large pool of susceptible people— it’s been about six months since their last wave. Everyone is waiting to see if this transpires outside of Okinawa.
The average number of COVID-19 patients per medical institution (Okinawa) by week, month, and year. Latest data from July 2. Source: Ministry of Health
Dominican Republic: A new Omicron variant— FL1.5.1— is showing its teeth by exponentially increasing quickly. This variant has the same spike protein as what’s currently circulating (XBB) but several non-spike mutations. It’s in its infancy, so it’s unclear if (and how) it will impact real-world metrics. It’s one to keep an eye on.
What’s next?
The COVID-19 Modeling Hub— eight academic teams across the U.S.— just released projections for the next two years: hospitalizations and deaths will likely stay within last year’s range.
Unfortunately, this means we should expect to lose 55,000 (optimistic model)- 450,000 Americans (pessimistic model) due to COVID-19.
Projected COVID-19 deaths in the United States for the next two seasons. Source here.
We’re waiting on a fall vaccine eligibility decision from CDC, which will happen in mid-September.
Whispers on the street suggest that everyone will be eligible.
The ACIP meeting should be fascinating because we will see the first cost-effectiveness analyses now that vaccines are privatized—are the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines worth the individual cost for everyone? I would also love to see the updated CDC benefit/risk analysis for young males.
Bottom line
COVID-19 is increasing; don’t be surprised to hear more people getting infected around you. I already am. This isn’t enough reason to change my personal behaviors, but that time may come this fall.
Stay healthy (and cool) out there.
Love, YLE
“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations. At night she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health world so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below:
Governor Hochul Also Requests Expedited FEMA Damage Assessment Process, As State Disaster Representatives Already on Ground Conducting Damage Assessments in Hardest Hit Communities
Governor Kathy Hochul Friday afternoon requested a Major Disaster Declaration from President Biden to support the ongoing recovery of communities impacted by devastating flooding stemming from this week’s heavy rainstorms, which spanned across much of Upstate New York.
If granted, this declaration would release critical federal financial assistance that will support recovery and reconstruction efforts in Albany, Clinton, Dutchess, Essex, Hamilton, Ontario, Orange, Oswego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, and Westchester counties, with the opportunity for additional counties to be added in the coming weeks as the damage assessment process continues.
Additionally, Governor Hochul is requesting federal support for homeowners in Ontario and Orange Counties, as well as an expedited damage assessment process. New York will also be engaging with the U.S. Small Business Administration to pursue low-interest recovery loans for impacted private businesses in the coming weeks.
“My administration is no stranger to extreme weather events and the weather of this past week has shown that not only do we need federal assistance to help recover from these storms, but government leaders at all levels need to prioritize making our infrastructure more resilient,” Governor Hochul said. “I have spoken with The White House, our Senators, and FEMA leadership about the need for a swift approval of this disaster declaration, so we can help New Yorkers recover quickly and efficiently.”
A Major Disaster Declaration secures financial assistance from the federal government, primarily through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program, to provide funding to local governments, tribes and eligible non-profits for debris removal, protective measures, and repairs to buildings and infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and wastewater treatment facilities, critical infrastructure sites, schools, parks and other facilities.
THE PROCESS
Following a disaster, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ (DHSES) Disaster Recovery Unit works directly with counterparts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and impacted local governments to assess damages caused by, and costs related to, the disaster. Once these assessments are complete, FEMA validates whether the state and impacted counties have reached the required federal damage thresholds for a Major Disaster Declaration.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “New York was devastated with heavy rains and destructive flooding this week and we need to access federal funding to support the long term recovery of impacted communities. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul, our teams are working hand in glove with our local and federal partners to support recovery efforts as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
THE STORM
From July 9-10, more than eight inches of rain was reported in parts of the Mid-Hudson Region and more than five inches of rain in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region. From July 10-11, parts of the North Country saw several inches of rain in a short period of time, which caused devastating flooding, closing roadways and damaging infrastructure across impacted regions.
In advance of the storm, Governor Hochul directed State agencies to prepare emergency response assets and stay in constant communication with local governments to monitor weather impacts and respond to requests for assistance. As the storms moved across the state, the Governor continued to deploy disaster resources to impacted areas, including additional Department of Transportation staff, who worked to get State highways and bridges open as quickly as possible.
Additionally, Governor Hochul deployed staff from the State Department of Financial Services (DFS) to provide insurance assistance to residents affected by the flooding in Rockland and Orange Counties. Individuals can also call the DFS Disaster Hotline at (800) 339-1759.
