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 Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. October 27, 2020:

Dear John, 

Our country is seeing a surge in COVID; there have been almost half a million new confirmed COVID cases in the US in just one week.

While the number of new cases per 100,000 residents in New York remains low relative to other states, New York State is not in a hermetically sealed bubble.  

COVID is still here and continues to spread in communities in New York, particularly when people do not follow the safety protocols in place to control the virus. We continue to see outbreaks linked to mass gatherings at houses of worship, at weddings and funerals, and other events where too many people gather. 

We cannot let our guard down and risk sliding backward in New York. We all must remain vigilant as the weather gets colder and as we are up against “COVID fatigue.”

Stay NY Smart: Wear a mask, socially distance and follow the public health guidance. It’s there to save lives. 

Chart of the Day: The statewide test positivity rate (the orange line) remains under 2 percent. Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. California has been added to New York’s Travel Advisory. Individuals traveling to New York from California must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in NY. Massachusetts meets the criteria for the travel advisory but due to the region’s interconnectedness, quarantine is not practically viable. As such, New York highly discourages non-essential travel between Massachusetts and New York to the extent practical. See more info here. 

 2. The positivity rate in the “micro-cluster” focus areas was 3.65 percent yesterday. The statewide positivity rate excluding these areas was 1.53 percent. Of the 111,618 tests reported yesterday, 1,991, or 1.78 percent, were positive. There were 1,083 total hospitalizations. Sadly, we lost 15 New Yorkers to the virus.

  3. SUNY will require on-campus students to test negative for COVID-19 before leaving for Thanksgiving break. That means SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities will test about 140,000 people over a 10-day period leading up to Thanksgiving break. Per the policy, colleges in the SUNY system should schedule tests as close as possible to students’ departure date. “I want to thank our students for the phenomenal effort during these difficult times as well as SUNY health policy experts for helping us create this guidance that ensures a safe wind down of the fall semester,” said SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras. 

 4. The MTA will begin a voluntary COVID-19 screening program for frontline transit employees. Under this new initiative, free COVID testing will be offered at field locations and medical assessment and occupational health services centers to frontline NYC Transit, LIRR, Metro-North and Bridge and Tunnels employees. Up to 2,000 frontline MTA employees will be screened per week under the initial phase of the program. Read more here.  

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer is giving Central Park its own soundtrack. Composer Ellen Reid has written new music for an app called Soundwalk that is intended especially for visitors of Central Park. The app uses GPS to know where you are walking in the Park — and what you hear on your headphones changes depending on the route you take. In this way, the listener becomes a composer too. The music for this immersive auditory experience includes 25 different nature-inspired themes, recorded by members of the New York Philharmonic, among others.  If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. 

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From the Westchester Broadway Theatre. October 26, 2020:

The Westchester Broadway Theatre will close its doors after 45 years of business due to COVID 19. The work that WBT has done over the years has been truly historic and will go down in history, not only in Westchester, but in the theatre industry as New York’s longest running Equity theatre.

Over the years, WBT has produced 217 musicals, hosted numerous concerts, benefits and fundraisers, employed 5,000 theatre professionals, many who have gone on to Broadway and beyond, and served over 6 million customers. 

As the world has been plugged into an intense emergency; we have determined there is no way we can reopen when the ban is lifted on live theatre.

Dinner- theatre, because of social distancing requirements, will be the last entertainment category to be given permission. Our landlord does not want to continue supporting our lease.

Sadly, the interior is to be destroyed and the building turned into a warehouse.

“It is with a great sadness that we say goodbye. We wish you much good will in the future. We will miss you!” said Bob Funking, Bill and Von Ann Stutler, founders of the Westchester Broadway Theatre, in a letter to employees. 

The art of presenting live theatre is one of NY State’s largest industries. It has been greatly affected by the pandemic leaving many shows on hold, 12 million people out of work, and numerous patrons with outstanding tickets to shows. 

However, Westchester residents will still have a professional Equity theatre in their backyard to attend when restrictions are lifted.

The White Plains Performing Arts Center, which is located in downtown White Plains, has used this down-time to make many new renovations to accommodate the “new world of theatre” when Governor Cuomo authorizes theaters to reopen. Everything from air purification systems, to advanced cleaning solutions and social distancing has been put in place. 

“As someone who grew up seeing and working on shows at WBT, it’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our colleague. The work they have done over the years was remarkable. When we heard of this news, we knew we had to do something to not only honor their legacy but also make sure we keep professional theatre alive in Westchester. We are honored to have the torch passed to us at White Plains PAC to take on that task!” said Stephen Ferri, White Plains PAC’s Executive Producer. 

White Plains PAC has generously offered to try assisting affected WBT ticket holders by honoring outstanding tickets and gift cards for a future WPPAC show. This will be a way to give back to the community and keep the industry alive; as well as fulfill the outstanding obligations to patrons. Eligible patrons will be contacted in the coming weeks with details about the exchange program.

WBT Staff

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joseph Ricca. October 26, 2020:

Dear WPCSD Key Communicator:

We hope that this update finds you safe and well!

Now that our school facilities have reopened to our children for this very unusual school year of 2020, we want to report to you that despite the pandemic, the district is up and running in the White Plains CSD tradition — providing all of our children with an excellent education. 

With the outstanding leadership of our Board of Education, we spent the summer working on the extraordinary preparations and protocols necessary to protect the health and safety of our children and staff. We know that the effort expended over the summer has helped to position us well to take on the virus when it is identified in our school community.

Our faculty and staff members also worked hard on learning new methods of instruction in both hybrid and remote paradigms to provide our students with the best possible educational experience – regardless of the challenges.  Our staff and students are proving every day that no challenge is too great for a Tiger!

Presently, we are using a hybrid model with students in school one or two days per week, depending on their grade level, and learning remotely the other days. 

At the same time, we are helping to provide for the welfare of our school families in the areas of emotional health, meals and extracurriculars where possible.  

Without a doubt, schooling during a pandemic is challenging. Still, we have been blessed with the amazing partnerships of our educational community, our Mayor and city government and the County of Westchester. Without the support of these, and many other outstanding community partners, this endeavor would be immeasurably more difficult. As always, health and safety must come first for our 7,000+ students.

Of course, no season is complete without sports, and we’ve resumed that, too.  “Low-risk” sports including Soccer, Field Hockey, Cross Country and Tennis have begun for the fall. We are awaiting the guidelines for winter sports and we will be sure that we continue to offer all opportunities available to our students in a safe manner.   

Other good news to report:

• In the National Merit competitions, 11 High School Seniors were named Commended Students, another is a Scholar in the National African American Recognition Program and four more are Scholars in the National Hispanic Recognition Program.
• The New York State School Music Association has selected four High School students for its 2020 Program:  Ari Gebhardt, Bass Clarinet – Symphonic Band; Samuel Hoch, Baritone Saxophone – Symphonic Band; Isabella Michell, Alto 2 – Treble Chorus; and Catherine Stanton, Bb Clarinet – Symphonic Band.
• The District has been awarded a grant from Con Edison in its incentive program to reduce natural gas usage.  It is expected that the work to be done will yield an annual savings of $94,000.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wpschools, our website, www.whiteplainspublicschool.org and twitter:  www.twitter.com/wplainsschools and www.twitter.com/drjospehricca to stay up to date with WPCSD news.    

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Finally, and most important:  make sure to vote on November 3^rd.   The polling places in our schools will be ready for you.  Please be aware that due to COVID-19, some voting locations within the schools have been moved to be closer to the entrances. 

Thank you, as always, stay well, safe and stay #WPProud!

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo. October 22, 2020:

 COVID anxiety is real. COVID stress is real. COVID depression is real. I understand we’re tired of wearing masks, of social distancing, etc. The pandemic has caused tremendous stress on each of us. And the longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get.

We see it in the numbers, in a rise in substance abuse, in the way people are relying on mental health services and in real need of resources. We can’t ignore the emotional and mental health impacts of this pandemic. Give your friends a call.

Check in with your family. Ask them how everything is going and how they are feeling. Let’s show each other some love because mental health is just as important as physical health.

New Yorkers can also call the State’s mental health hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for free emotional support, consultations & referrals to a provider. We are New York Tough as we go through this together but let’s not also forget to be New York Loving. 

Photo of the Day: The iconic lion statues in front of the main branch of the New York Public Library are wearing masks and encouraging New Yorkers to vote (Photo by Nina Dudko) 

Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. The positivity rate in the “micro-cluster” focus areas was 3.20 percent. The statewide positivity rate excluding these areas was 0.96 percent. There were 986 total hospitalizations. Of the 135,341 tests reported yesterday, 1,628, or 1.2 percent, were positive. Sadly, we lost 15 New Yorkers to the virus yesterday. 

2. The Department of Health is partnering with Cortland County and SUNY to open new rapid testing sites. Starting tomorrow, October 23rd, free community testing will be open to the public at designated testing sites. Testing will be available from noon to 4:30pm on Friday and 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. You must have an appointment.

A list of testing locations is available here along with the link to make an appointment for a free test. 

 3. The Nourish NY program has spent over $18 million connecting New York farms with families in need. To date, 20.8 million pounds of raw milk have been made into products like yogurt and cheese that have been distributed by food banks, along with 6.4 million pounds of produce from NY farms. Almost 800,000 households have received products from more than 4,000 farms through this initiative — which is helping keep farms and families in need afloat.  

4. On Purple Thursday, we stand against domestic violence. Landmarks across the state will be lit purple tonight to spread awareness of domestic violence. Amid COVID, reports of DV have increased. Remember: You are not trapped because of COVID and you are not alone. If you need help, you can call the State’s Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-942-6906, or text 833-997-2121. New York will always fight for domestic violence survivors.  

5. The test positivity rate is below 2 percent in every region of the state. In New York City, the positivity rate was 1.1 percent. In Long Island, it was 1.0 percent. In the Capital Region, 0.9 percent. In Central New York, 1.0 percent. In the Finger Lakes, 1.4 percent. In the Mid-Hudson Region, 1.5 percent. In Mohawk Valley, 0.6 percent. In the North Country, 0.5 percent. In the Southern Tier, 1.5 percent. And finally, in Western New York, 1.5 percent. Remember that you can look at updated regional COVID data anytime online. 

 Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: A painting by a famous Black artist that was missing for 60 years was discovered thanks to a visitor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is hosting an exhibition of an important series of paintings about Revolutionary War times by Jacob Lawrence, an acclaimed American painter. But the series was missing one of the panels. What happened next was a stroke of fate: A patron realized she had seen a very similar work on the wall of her neighbor’s apartment on the Upper West Side, just across Central Park from the Met. It was the missing panel. The owners, who did not realize their painting was “missing” to art historians, were happy to lend the piece to the Met, where it is now displayed with the rest of the series. According to Eric Widing, Deputy Chairman of Christie’s New York, the painting is worth “in the seven figures.” The elderly owners had bought it at an auction for a modest sum in around 1960.  If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. 

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo