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 THE LETTER TICKER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. February 12, 2021:

Assemblymembers and Senators of Westchester County’s Delegation to New York State – it is a pleasure to be here with you today, albeit virtually, because of the times we are living in. Thank you for including us in these ongoing deliberations and the important work you do on behalf of the great State of New York. Having served in the State Legislature, I understand the difficult task you have ahead of you.

As we continue our work to get through this pandemic, our patience and strength has been tested – as New Yorkers and as neighbors living in Westchester County.

Last March, Westchester County became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost a year later, nearly two thousand people have died in our County and the role of local government has become more critical than ever before.

This crisis has forced us all to step up to the plate and become more responsible for each other and our children. Demand for food programs have more than tripled. I attended a food distribution earlier this week and more than 100 people, many with babies asleep in carriages, were lined up 4 hours before they could fill their grocery bags with produce and necessities.

The food was gone within 45 minutes. An 8 year old girl, named Jocelyn, was thrilled to get bread and chips along with a small bottle of hair spray. You could see her smile through her eyes, she was wearing a yellow emoji mask. Her neighbors, grateful for diapers and warm coats. I was there, handing out masks, reminding people…we are going to get through this, but it’s not over yet.

The damage to our economy has been severe – devastating the small businesses and restaurants which are the lifeblood of this County.

New York State’s current 15 billion dollar budget gap, is drastic, and creates issues for ALL of us. We want to work side-by-side with you, as an advocate, to help leverage the Federal Government to make New York fiscally whole.

We are more than cognizant of the budgetary issues of New York and through this time the County is suffering severe financial distress.

There are essential workers, nurses, care-takers who relied on our Bee-Line Bus System for transportation. We decided they didn’t have to pay to take the bus anymore, we knew they needed to get to work or a doctor’s appointment, so we just stopped charging them. Everyone entered through the back of the bus, not only to keep everyone socially distant…but help stop people from getting sick.

We want to partner with you in finding ways to support new revenues so we can get our economy moving again.

This includes the expansion of mobile sports betting and downstate gaming licenses, which would greatly benefit our County.

We would like to respectfully request New York State lift the moratorium which currently bars the creation of new commercial casino licenses, prior to 2023.

We support Senator Mayer’s efforts to earmark funding for school districts throughout the region from any new arrangement.

Lifting this moratorium and developing one such casino in Westchester County would increase tourism revenue, create jobs, provide crucial education funding and provide new opportunities for minority, women and veteran owned businesses.

I want to direct you to our County’s largest city, Yonkers, the City of Hills, and home to Empire City Casino, the sixth largest casino in the country.

Before COVID, the casino would see more than 9 million guests a year with an average of 15 thousand visitors during the week. With restricted hours and 25% capacity, Empire City can have about 3600 guests and employees on the floor at any given time.

The health and safety protocols around games has limited gaming capacity significantly.

Pre-COVID, revenue was roughly 307 million dollars with an average 25 million going toward schools monthly. Needless to say, it is now considerably less. We want to help boost our schools, get people back to work and we want people to be able to have some sort of entertainment again.

Westchester County has proudly supported “Raise the Age” and our implementation has been extremely successful.

Over the last few years, we have become a regional hub for juvenile offenders from surrounding counties like Rockland and Nassau and helping people turn their lives around.

New York State allocated funding to cover these costs. New York State similarly designated funding to cover the costs of Westchester’s patrol of state parkways within the County as well as dozens of critical programs at the Department of Health and the Department of Social Services. I can’t emphasize enough these programs which are more critical now than ever before.

The State allocated 60 million dollars to cover the cost of these vital programs, unfortunately over the last six months, we’ve received only 10 million dollars of that 60 million, leaving an outstanding balance of 50 million dollars. We ask the delegation advocate to ensure New York State delivers this funding to us.

Sales tax is one of the things driving funding here in County.

If it is part of your strategy, we’d like to support Governor Cuomo’s measures to make County sales tax permanent.

If you plan to take action and support the Governor’s initiative to legalize marijuana, we would like to respectfully request Westchester County is included in the sales tax benefit of it. We would like to call on you – and ask New York State not shift AIM funding to Westchester County’s sales tax.

I’ve been having regular meeting with leaders of other municipalities, using our time as an opportunity to coordinate and cooperate where we can save costs and work toward the interest of the County taxpayers. The revenue from sales tax can help repair and boost our economy that has been on pause for too long. 

In closing, I want to thank you again for this opportunity and I would be remiss not to mention our appreciation over the last year for your assistance in removing the referendum requirement on all capital projects above 10 million dollars.

Because of its success, we were able to do some work on Memorial Field. This is close to my heart, my hometown of Mount Vernon will soon see a renaissance of sorts in Memorial Field. Last year, the County made a commitment to invest in revamping the field which will have an eight lane track, tennis courts and skate park. It was once the jewel of the city’s recreation system, and with your help, it can become that once again, for a new generation.

As we reflect on how this past year has impacted our lives, our health and our faith – we must remember we are New Yorkers, and we are resilient.

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WPCNR MILESTONES. February 10, 2021:

Saul Yanofsky, a former long- time superintendent of schools in White Plains, NY, who implemented an ambitious reorganization of its elementary schools, unexpectedly died on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, surrounded by his family.

He was 79. Yanofsky had a long and impactful career in public education reform, beginning with his job in Philadelphia as the Director of Research and Planning at the Pennsylvania Advancement School, from 1968-1972. The following year, Saul was one of a remarkable team of scholars and school reformers assembled to staff the new National Institute of Education in Washington, D.C.

As deputy director of the programs conducting research on school policy and organization, he guided studies resulting in significant new insights into schools’ use of research findings to raise student performance, as well as on teacher quality, school desegregation, higher education policy, legal studies and school organization and leadership.

In 1982, Yanofsky moved to White Plains, where as superintendent he acted on his commitment to educational reform and equity by implementing a nationally recognized model of school choice and racial balance.

He led the district through a challenging transition as the demographics in White Plains shifted; Yanofsky’s aim was to ensure equitable outcomes for students of color.

His plan allowed parents to choose the school their children would attend but also established guidelines so that each grade would be racially integrated.

His work there became a much-invoked example for other districts, while he became a role model for other superintendents, some of whom grew to be not just colleagues, but his dear friends.

( WPCNR wrote in 2001, when Mr. Yanofsky left the district as Superintendent:

“Dean of School District Leaders is Pacesetter for Westchester County School Districts.

Yanofsky is looked to by Westchester School Superintendents as the lead negotiator and pacesetter in education issues. They have looked to Yanofsky for leadership in matters of teacher contract negotiations, school standards, and district management issues. As White Plains District goes, so goes the county, has been the impression.

Dr. Yanofsky has been a very vocal critic of the way in which the Department of Education operates in administering its state standard tests, and has been the lead Westchester spokesman in Albany on that issue.

He has also upgraded and adjusted White Plains school curricula to produce test scores that have improved on state mandated tests since they were instituted four years ago.“

After he left White Plains in 2002, Yanofsky was appointed as an Assistant Dean at Westchester Community College, where he created a program to identify, inspire and train the next generation of public school teachers.

Saul was born in Brookline, MA, on March 20, 1941, to Esther (Silberberg) and Clarence Yanofsky. He graduated with honors from Amherst College in 1962 and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity; his fraternity brothers are among his lifelong friends.

He earned a doctorate degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1968. From his youth in Brookline, MA, through his years at Amherst College, his long career in education, and his post-retirement years, Saul had a gift for collecting friends and admirers.

Throughout his life, his combination of kindness, empathy, insight, and sense of humor drew people to him. He was a truly fine human being who made a real difference in thousands of lives.

While his passion for education ran deep, so did his passion for politics — and he was thrilled with the outcome of the 2020 elections. But nothing could surpass his love of family.

He and his wife Nancy met in Hebrew school at the age of 10 and began dating at the age of 16, the beginning of a lifelong partnership between two strong-willed people with a zest for social involvement, a love of adventure, and a gift for drawing friends into their orbit.

They passed their enthusiasms and idealism along to their three children and their spouses, Carole (David Anderson), David (Julianne Ugo), and Jon (Margaret Crisostomo), who survive him, along with his six beloved grandchildren – Julia, Zachary, Giovanna, Luca, Stella and Quincy.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to El Centro Hispano in White Plains, where a scholarship has been established in his name, and/or to the Friends of White Plains Youth Bureau. A virtual memorial service to celebrate his life is planned for Sunday, February 14. Contact the Riverside Memorial Chapel www.dignitymemorial.com

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JOHN BAILEY

The Old CitizeNetReporter at the WVOX mircrophone

Appears weekly on WVOX at 7:50 AM with the White Plains Report a feature of the nicest people on the radio, Dennis Nardone and Tonny on Good Morning Westchester at WVOX 1460 AM AND WVOX.COM. Here is a transcript of today’s report.

“Good morning from White Plains NY USA.

February is fitness month through February 28, featuring special offers from 18 diverse fitness spas in White Plains. To learn all about the sweet 18  go to wpbid.com, to find a list of the great deals.

Take advantage of everything from virtual workouts, free trial classes, new member deals and workout bundles to get your body in beach shape.

Next month will be beauty month and all you ladies and hipsters of an interesting age will be eligible for special offers from White Plains beauty salons, nail artists, stylists and trainers and well we’ll keep you posted at wpbid.com

You know Dennis, Everybody says it is the internet sales causing us to be down combined with covid but the internet has been killing street retail in Westchester for three years.

Since 2018 Westchester  County internet sales  (Electronic and mail order businesses) have soared from $175 million to $475 million – that’s 270%, folks.

In the last 8 years internet electronic and mail order sales have gone  from $100 million just to  under $500 million, 500%.

What Westchester County Businesses are being affected most?

Department stores  and clothing stores lagged behind electronic shopping and mail order for 8 years not just the year 2020.

Department store growth has been stagnant. It is no wonder Sears and now Macy’s are leaving White Plains.  Department Stores have not grown their market share in 7 years. They have been at a steady $600 million for 7 of the last 8 years and the bottom dropped out in 2020.

Department Stores  dropped sharply to $200 milliion in 2020. Electronic sales and mail order business has devoured  the market going from $400 million in 2013-14  eight years ago to $1.3 billion through 2020 325% GROWTH in 8 years.

How about Westchester restaurants and bars? They were going great  in 2019  when Westchester restaurants peaked at $40 billion and starting in March 2020 they have plummeted 40% to $25 billion.

Grocery stores have remained steady.

Can the White Plains Common Council count on a big comeback in the spring sales tax receipts? what do you think? they need to start thinking of solutions for various deficits they have now.

Brittany Brandwein of the White Plains Bid told me yesterday that restaurants with safe social distancing, table spacing and cleaning procedures, gloved and masked servers are doing ok. Larger  restaurants in town need to do better.

The city ended the first six months of 20-21 fiscal year down $5,063,506 . It was the sixth consecutive month of declining sales tax revenues for white plains. 

We look forward to the January sales tax receipts coming out February 19. The city expressed concern at last week’s council meeting about our revenues. They have tough choices to make, bet the spring will come back as strong as last spring and they are still down $5 million. If sales tax dollars continue down is they will have a bigger deficit by June 30, requiring cuts and perhaps a tax increase.

So long for now.

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WPCNR GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO MONDAY COVID REPORT. February 9, 2021:

 The state’s effort to vaccinate health care workers has been underway for the last eight weeks. So we are now starting to shift doses not used to date to prioritize New Yorkers with qualifying comorbidities and pre-existing conditions.

These New Yorkers will be able to make appointments at state-run mass vaccination sites beginning Sunday, February 14, with vaccinations beginning next Monday, February 15. Local health departments will determine how, where and when to schedule appointments in their jurisdictions, and those appointments will begin as early as February 15.

New Yorkers will have to provide documentation as required by the facility where they are getting vaccinated—the exact form of documentation will be up to local governments, but may be either a doctor’s letter, medical information evidencing comorbidity, or a certification.

 Federal supply of the vaccine remains extremely limited, and I urge all New Yorkers to be patient. We can only administer as many doses as we receive and we’re continuing to fight for more every day. 

Photo of the Day: Helen, pictured above, became the 10,000th person to be vaccinated at the Roc Dome Arena vaccination site in Henrietta, NY, this morning. Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. COVID hospitalizations rose to 7,716. Of the 197,183 tests reported yesterday, 8,448, or 4.28 percent, were positive. There were 1,454 patients in the ICU yesterday, down 5 from the previous day. Of the, 961 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 114 New Yorkers to the virus.

 2. Monday we launched NY PopsUp, an initiative to accelerate the revival of culture and the arts: the creative soul of New York. As we approach 2 million New Yorkers vaccinated, we’re bringing back the arts with over 300+ arts events across the state. Arts industry workers have been devastated by the pandemic, with many out of work since March. This initiative will marshal the return of the arts with safe, in-person events and online shows—coming to your neighborhood soon! 

3. If you’ve gotten your first dose, make sure not to skip your second dose. Second doses are crucial to building full protection to the virus, as Dr. Anthony Fauci emphasized yesterday. Remember: both currently authorized COVID vaccines require two doses. 

4. Indoor dining in New York State will reopen at reduced capacity Friday, February 12, two days before Valentine’s Day. Strict health guidelines are in place, including a 25 percent occupancy cap. We know the restaurant industry is struggling due to the pandemic, and we remind New Yorkers that takeout and delivery continue to be great ways to support your favorite dining establishments. 

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo