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.

Hits: 157

Friend, We have all been watching the news in horror that ICE has murdered two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. I am furious. Last year, I voted NO on the Republican budget that included over $170 billion in funding for ICE and other immigration enforcement with no direct oversight. Once again, I am joining my colleagues in Congress to stand up to the dangerous conduct of ICE and the Trump Administration’s failed policies. ICE is out of control, and the American people deserve answers. I want to hear from you: Should Congress hold ICE accountable? Yes No Taking this survey will sign you up for future news and updates from our office. I am demanding a full, independent investigation into Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the dangerous conduct of ICE, and the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.   Every public official and federal agent responsible for these unjustified killings must be held accountable. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter/X and YouTube and can sign up for our newsletter here: https://latimer.house.gov/contact/newsletter-subscribe. Sincerely, Rep. George Latimer Member of Congress

Hits: 177

SENATOR GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON 5-BILL “MINIBUS” APPROPRIATIONS FUNDING BILL AND DHS/ICE REFORMS

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the five-bill “minibus” appropriations funding package and proposed DHS/ICE reforms:

“As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am proud that this package will deliver billions of dollars to New Yorkers for critical affordable housing and transit upgrades, quality child care, and vital mental health services that strengthen our communities. I am also thrilled to have secured full funding for the World Trade Center Health Program after a yearslong fight, ensuring that our 9/11 first responders and survivors continue to receive the care they deserve. 

I am thankful that we were able to separate DHS out of this funding package and allow Democrats and Republicans to work together on practical reforms that will make our communities safer, not endanger them – and avert a lengthy government shutdown. 

I remain steadfast in my support for commonsense, targeted immigration enforcement that prioritizes public safety. ICE’s current tactics inflame tensions, putting spectacle over public trust. The agency is out of control and must be reformed. Terrorizing communities, disregarding constitutional rights, and murdering Americans is unacceptable.  

House Republicans must return from their break and do their jobs: Put the American people first to fund the programs our constituents rely on and make changes to restore the public’s constitutional rights and public safety. 

They should not jeopardize health care for 9/11 heroes, a well-deserved pay raise for our troops, investments in fixing our crumbling roads and bridges, expanded child care funding, protections for mental health programs, or access to affordable housing for working families just to score political points at a time when we should all be working together to do what is best for the American people. 

Right now, we should be putting people over politics. Before we are Republicans or Democrats, we are Americans. It is time to come together to pass this five-bill package and reform the Department of Homeland Security.”

A partial list of Senator Gillibrand’s wins for New York includes:

Investments in Health Care

• Secures Funding for the World Trade Center Health Program: Updates the WTCHP funding formula through 2040, averting an impending budget shortfall and ensuring the program has sustainable funding to prevent disruptions to enrollees’ care. The WTCHP covers medical monitoring and treatment for responders and survivors diagnosed with conditions related to their service and exposure on 9/11, including over 93,000 New Yorkers.
• Averts over $2.8 billion in Medicaid cuts to NY Hospitals: Eliminates two years of cuts to hospitals that disproportionately serve our most vulnerable New Yorkers, helping to prevent provider closures and the elimination of crucial service lines.  The Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Program provides essential financial support to providers based on the cost of providing uncompensated care.
• Helps Keep Rural Hospitals Open: Extends federal reimbursement programs which allow small, low volume hospitals, like those in Upstate New York, to remain financially viable and protect access to life-sustaining care for rural communities. The Enhanced Low-Volume Adjustment and Medicare Dependent Hospital Program boost Medicare payments to create stability for vulnerable rural hospitals that treat a greater proportion of older, low-income, and sicker patients.
• Promotes Access to Primary Care for Over 2.4 Million New Yorkers: Invests $4.6 billion into Community Health Centers nationwide that provide comprehensive primary medical, dental, and mental health care to Americans, regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. The bill reauthorizes the Community Health Center Fund, which provides the majority of federal funding for health centers and ensures multi-year base grant funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers to promote financial stability for these essential providers.
• Protects Access to Telehealth Care for New Yorkers: Extends telehealth flexibilities for over 3.9 million New Yorkers who rely on Medicare or MA for their health coverage. The bill continues flexibilities related to geographic and originating site of care, the types of eligible practitioners, the format of communication, and in-person requirements to ensure older adults can continue to access the care they need in the location of their choice.
• Advances key bipartisan reforms to help improve access to affordable, high-quality care for every American: The bill would advance key bipartisan policies that lower the cost of prescription drugs, strengthen the health care workforce, end abuses from insurance companies, hold accountable pharmacy benefit managers, improve cancer care for children and seniors, ensure faster access to care for children who rely on Medicaid, and reauthorize programs that support new mothers and babies, bolster health care providers’ mental health, support the behavioral health workforce, and more.
• National Institutes of Health: Funds the NIH at $48.7 billion to propel medical research into life-saving cures and treatments. New York is one of the nation’s top recipients of NIH funding, and NIH research supports nearly $9 billion in economic activity and 30,500 jobs across the state.

Affordable Housing Investments

• Provides $66.5 billion to continue to provide rental assistance for over 10 million Americans, including 1 million New Yorkers, who would otherwise face eviction or homelessness, and rejects President Trump’s proposal to gut HUD programs. This includes $601 million for tenant protection vouchers to assist the most at-risk residents and support NYCHA redevelopment efforts;
• Invests a historic $4.4 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, a $366 million increase from last year, to expand and improve the homeless response system, and forces HUD to stop playing games with Continuum of Care grants and provide funds to expiring projects on a timely basis;
• Protects the FY25 enacted level of $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which provides flexible funding to local and state governments to support economic development, community development, and infrastructure. In FY25, New York jurisdictions, including the state, received a total of $319 million from the CDBG program. President Trump proposed eliminating this program; and
• Maintains the FY25 enacted level of $1.25 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to assist local and state governments with expanding the supply of affordable housing. In FY25, New York jurisdictions, including the state, received a total of $117 million from the HOME program. President Trump and House Republicans proposed eliminating this program.

Transportation and Infrastructure Investments

• $1.7 billion for the Capital Investment Grants program, rejecting efforts by House Republicans to gut the program by 98%.
• $2.4 billion to fully fund Amtrak’s budget request, which includes $850 million for the Northeast Corridor and $1.577 billion for the National Network that supports State-Supported routes like the Empire Service.
• $22.6 billion to fully fund the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—a $1.6 billion increase over last year—which will help address congestion issues at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Airports.
• $514 million for the Essential Air Service program to continue to support the Massena, Ogdensburg, Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake/Lake Placid, and Watertown airports, rejecting President Trump’s budget request to cut the program by 50%.
• $30 million for the Reconnecting Communities grant program Senator Gillibrand created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund projects to remove and mitigate infrastructure that divides communities.
• $15 million in new funding to assist large urban transit agencies with safety and security initiatives, including for the MTA.
• $201.5 million for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, including $50 million for campus capital improvements.
• $139 million to assist State Maritime Academies, including SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx.
• $100 million to help host cities throughout the country provide transit service in support of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the games at MetLife Stadium.
• Funding to increase FAA staffing to implement Senator Gillibrand’s COUNTER Act.
• Bill language requiring DOT to issue a new notice of funding opportunity for University Transportation Centers and prioritize grants to universities that had their grants cancelled in May 2025, including City College of New York and New York University.

Education and Child Care Investments

• Department of Education: This package provides a $217 million increase in funding for the Department of Education to $79 billion for 2026. The bill also rejects the administration’s attempts to eliminate the Department of Education.
• School Funding: The package increases funding for Title I grants by $20 million to $18.4 billion for 2026. Title I grants support the nation’s neediest students, providing support for high-quality education to students from low-income families. More than 80 percent of the nation’s school districts receive these funds, and New York State received roughly $1.6 billion in Title I grants in FY24. The package also provides a $20 million increase in funding to grants that support education for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). New York State receives nearly $1 billion each year in federal IDEA funding.
• Pell Grants: The federal Pell Grant program is the single largest source of federal grant aid supporting undergraduate students, and nearly 400,000 students in New York receive Pell Grants. This package provides funding for a maximum Pell Grant award of $7,395 for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Child Care: The package provides a combined $170 million increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start—both of which support expanded access to child care across the nation.

Small Businesses and Economic Development

• Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund: The package includes $324 million for the CDFI fund, protecting current funding levels and rejecting the 59 percent cut proposed by the Trump administration. CDFIs help to expand economic opportunity for underserved communities and support the development of small businesses, child care centers, affordable housing units, health care facilities, and other community development financial needs.
• Small Business Administration (SBA): Provides $1.25 billion for the SBA, including $330 million for entrepreneurial development programs like Small Business Development Centers and Veterans Outreach programs that New Yorkers use to grow their small businesses.

Hits: 17

Hits: 141

OPENING OF PLAYLAND LAST SPRING (WPCNR ARCHIVES)

THE CAROUSEL

Community-Led Group to Support and Celebrate Historic Amusement Park

(White Plains, NY) – With the spring opening of Playland just a few months away, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins is forming the Friends of Rye Playland, a new nonprofit, community-led organization dedicated to supporting, promoting and preserving one of Westchester’s most treasured landmarks.

The Friends of Rye Playland group will be led by Robin Latimer, who will serve as Chair. The group will work in partnership with Westchester County to enhance public engagement, support special programming and events, encourage philanthropic investment, and help ensure Playland’s long-term vitality for future generations.

Jenkins said: “Rye Playland is more than an amusement park – it is a place we all grew up in and a place filled with memories for generations of Westchester County families. The formation of Friends of Rye Playland creates an exciting opportunity for the community to play a more active role in supporting this historic destination, and reshaping its future.”

Latimer said: “Involving the energy and ideas of residents will help make the present and the future of Playland Park more successful. The community is going to have a role to play in the days to come – and that’s different and exciting news”.

Additional details about Friends of Rye Playland, including opportunities for membership and involvement, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hits: 140

AIDS United condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the relentless attacks on immigrant communities, allies, and our social fabric.

In the wake of the senseless killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti this past weekend and Renee Good earlier this month, as well as the ongoing, brutal attacks on immigrants across the nation, we urge Congress to put a halt to funding the infrastructure that allows this to happen.

We mourn alongside the impacted communities; we are those communities, and we stand together. We honor our immigrant brothers and sisters – being profiled and terrorized because of the color of their skin or their accented speech –and we honor those who stand up in their defense.

No one should lose their life while exercising their rights or documenting what is happening in their community.

We join calls for a full, transparent, and independent investigation, and for accountability consistent with due process and the rule of law.

“This latest act of violence demands our government enact true safeguards that protect the civil liberties of every person,” said Carl Baloney Jr., President and CEO of AIDS United. “Our country must pursue transparency and accountability—and we must ensure this moment does not become another excuse for political dysfunction that puts people’s health and lives at risk.”

To that end, AIDS United urges the United States Senate to separate consideration of the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill and immediately take up and vote on the remaining House-passed FY2026 appropriations measures so that HIV/AIDS programs—and other essential federal operations—are not subjected to continued uncertainty, delays, or disruption.

Programs that prevent new HIV transmissions, support testing and linkage to care, provide life-saving treatment, fund community-based services, advance research, and address HIV-related housing and health disparities cannot be treated as bargaining chips.

Budget brinkmanship has real consequences: clinics and community organizations cannot plan, hire, procure medications, or maintain services when federal funding is in limbo.

AIDS United remains committed to protecting the dignity, safety, and health of the communities we serve—and to demanding a federal government that both funds life-saving programs and upholds human rights.