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. | 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.

WHITE PLAINS WEEK–THE LABOR DAY PROGRAM-TONIGHT AT 7 ON FIOS CH. 45 COUNTYWIDE AND OPTIMUM CH. 76 IN WHITE PLAINS AND ANYTIME AT www.wpcommunitymedia.org

Posted on September 4, 2020 by John Bailey

GREENBURGH REVIVAL WITH AMAZON, TESLA, SHOPRITE COMING TO TOWN

GREENBURGH SUPERVISOR PAUL FEINER ON HIRING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TO BRING GREENBURGH BACK AND PREVENT GHOST TOWNS

COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS JOSEPH RICCA ON MENTAL ISSUES IN STUDENTS AS SCHOOLS OPEN

THE UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS DEAL TO GO BACK TO NYC CLASSROOMS. CAN IT WORK?

THE GAMBLE TO LIMIT INFECTION IN WESTCHESTER SCHOOLS WITHOUT A TESTING PLAN.

JOHN VORPERIAN OF WPTV’S “BEYOND THE GAME” ON TOM SEAVER

COVID INFECTIONS AT PLEASANTVILLE CHURCH AFFECT ATTENDEES OF COMMUNION SERVICES HELD LAST WEEK IN AUGUST. ATTENDEES MUST QUARANTINE NOW

Posted on September 4, 2020 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY HEALTH BULLETIN. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. September 4, 2020:

The Westchester County Department of Health has been notified that a second priest has tested positive for COVID-19 at Holy Innocents Catholic Church, located at 431 Bedford Road in Pleasantville. To date 2 priests and one church staffer have tested positive.

Anyone who attended the following services must quarantine, as required by the New York State Department of Health, for 14 days (regardless of a negative COVID-19 test) from that last visit to the Church during these days:

• August 24 – Morning Mass

• August 26 – Morning Mass

• August 29 – First Communion Ceremonies

• August 30 – ALL MASSES

Contacts of contacts, meaning secondary exposed people, are currently not at risk and do not have to quarantine.

The County is currently working closely with the Church, the Archdiocese of New York, the Pleasantville School District and the Village and will continue to update the public as information becomes available.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) New York State Hotline

The New York State Department of Health has set up a hotline at (888) 364-3065 where Department of Health experts will be available to answer questions regarding COVID-19.

COVID-19 Hotline numbers for the public:
People under self-quarantine and medical providers seeking information: (866) 588-0195
People inquiring about testing: (888) 364-3065
General Information: call 211

PAUL FEINER TONIGHT ON WPTV’S “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” AT 8. ON FIOS CH. 45 COUNTYWIDE. CH 76 ALTICE IN WHITE PLAINS AND ANYWHERE ON www.wpcommunitymedia.org

Posted on September 3, 2020 by John Bailey

**JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS PAUL FEINER, GREENBURGH TOWN SUPERVISOR ON**

AMAZON,TESLA, SHOPRITE COMING TO GREENBURGH–HOW IT HAPPENED

HIRING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR — WHY?

HOW THE TOWN OF GREENBURGH IS BEING AFFECTED BY COVID-19– FINANCIAL IMPACT ON THE NEW BUDGET

AND MORE ON “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” — THE PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, HAVE THEIR SAY–SIXTH YEAR OF INTERVIEWS THAT MATTER TO YOU PERSONALLY

NYC’S TESTING PROCEDURES FOR TEACHERS, STAFF, STUDENTS ON SCHOOL REOPENING SEPT. 21

Posted on September 3, 2020 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From a White Plains CitizeNetReporter. September 3, 2020.

The following is an official communication from the United Federation of Teachers, the New York teachers union on Covid-19 testing procedures under which the union has agreed it will proceed with returning to New York City schools September 21:

New York City will make COVID-19 testing readily available for all its residents, including children, at over 200 locations across all five boroughs. NYCDOE encourages all its students and school-based staff to get tested within seven days of reporting to buildings and at regular intervals throughout the remainder of this crisis. In order to support testing, New York City will prioritize testing for NYCDOE students and staff and rapid communication of test results at any of its 34 city-run testing locations.

Once in-person learning has commenced, the NYC DOE will implement the Random Sample Survey of COVID-19 in Schools, a robust program of repeated random sampling and COVID-19 testing of adults and students present in DOE schools.

Obtain written parental /guardian consent for students to be tested in school from every possible student/parent at the beginning of the school year and continuously throughout the school year, including consent to have results shared with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Test & Trace Corps, and Department of Education as necessary. Parents will be informed that, as testing is performed throughout the year, if parental/guardian refuses to provide consent for a student who has been selected randomly for testing, the student will be moved to the remote learning cohort.
Obtain consent from teachers and staff to have results shared with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Test & Trace Corps, and Department of Education as necessary.
Establish mandatory time every month at each school dedicated to conducting the Random Sample Survey of COVID-19 in Schools beginning October 1. The percentage of individuals to be tested will be determined by the number of students enrolled in the school who have opted into blended learning in order to create a statistically significant sample size
- 20% of the individuals in schools with fewer than 500 students
- 15% of the individuals in schools with 500 to 999 students
- 10% of the individuals in schools with 1000+ students
  - Test and Trace Corps and DOHMH will utilize a sampling technique based on standard protocols, in consultation with outside experts.
  - All UFT titles will be required to participate in the Random Sample Survey of COVID-19 in Schools program. In the unlikely event a UFT member is selected for random testing and refuses, they will go on unpaid leave.
  - Other school staff will also be asked and are expected to participate in the Random Sample Survey of COVID-19 in Schools program.
Specimen collection will be conducted or supervised by appropriate personnel from City agencies, outside organizations, and/or outside contractor nurse support.
- Each school’s need for testing support will be evaluated based on the number of students and teachers that must be tested
- Self-collection kits for COVID-19 PCR testing will be an option, but other testing methods will be evaluated and considered for potential use as they become available.
- Test and Trace Corps and DOHMH will provide kits to each school each month to collect specimens and will work with DOE to collect specimens on site in each school each month (or, in certain circumstances, at an appropriately designated off-school site or at home as necessary).
Students and staff are required to report any positive test result, either taken independently or through this random COVID-19 testing program, to the DOE
There will be a weekly meeting of all stakeholders to review the implementation of the Random Sample Survey of COVID-19 in Schools program and resolve any issues that arise in the process.

Early Warning Signs

The health and safety of students and staff are of the utmost priority when considering reopening schools. In order for school buildings to reopen and stay open, the percentage of positive tests in New York City must be less than 3% using a 7-day rolling average. School buildings will need to close and revert to fully remote learning for all students if the percentage of positive tests in New York City is equal to or more than 3% using a 7-day rolling average. It is important to note that the above threshold is just one trigger for closing school buildings, but may not be the only trigger. For example, a decision to close all of the school buildings in the City would be made if there were recurrent, uncontrolled outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools, even if the overall case rates across New York City were to remain low. Likewise, a decision to close individual schools would be made where there were multiple cases of COVID-19 identified (see “School Closures”).

If any zip code within NYC reports a percentage of positive tests of 3% or higher using a 7-day rolling average, the city will deploy additional testing efforts within the community, including, but not limited to, increased testing of individuals in schools, opening new testing sites, door-to-door canvassing and targeted robocalls. The closure of school buildings within these communities, if necessary, will continue to be governed by the “School Closures” policy set forth herein.

County/State Should Covid Test All Children Returning to Schools to Prevent Covid Spread

Posted on September 2, 2020 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS NEWS AND COMMENT. By John F. Bailey September 2, 2020:

There are 8 days before schools reopen in Westchester County.

Westchester County has a policy at the present time that the county will not schedule Covid-19 tests for parents or guardians for their children. What the County Department of Health will do is provide a list of places parents can contact to schedule a test. That policy has to be changed and aggressively revised.

New York City agreeing with the United Federation of Teachers to Covid-Test 10% to 20% all students and staff monthly, after New York City Schools open September 21 changes the game.

Teachers have once more shown the light.

It is unclear if the tests will be made on the first day of school and then another round one month later.

The teachers’ stand for sanity, is a wakeup call to this health decision in Westchester County not to supervise testing — especially before students come to Westchester schools, or as they come to school for the first time

The opening of Westchester schools should be delayed to make an effort to enhance this policy by the County Health Department arranging to test every child for covid, whose parents are returning them to school, before the children return to school.

The effort to get the NYC economy with children and teachers paying the price started up by opening schools without any kind of testing, corrected by the United Federation of Teachers by monthly testing in schools is a big step towards doing the opening of schools intelligently and more safely.

Not enough, though. I suggest test children and teachers and staff when they come in to school the first time, immediately identifying in the first week Covid-positives.

To get ahead of covid spread in county schools, Westchester County should offer test scheduling through County Health Department supervision and personnel on a crash basis for the next two weeks to assure that no child returns to school without a medical clearance they have not tested positive for Covid.

Two weeks ago, the county reported to WPCNR they would not schedule tests for parents, that it was up to the parents or guardians to pick from lists of centers offering covid tests, provided by the County Department of Health, on the county website.

Pre-return-to-school testing is the most vital tool to counter the seriousness of the coronavirus ability to spread rapidly, painfully, preposterously demonstrated by the shutdown of New Paltz SUNY with over a hundred infections of returning students who spread the disease in a week.

There has been no explanations from the county as to why the county health department cannot step up and supervise test scheduling, (vastly aiding harried parents), except for liability to the county.

Why wouldn’t the health department want to make sure children are safely covid-free before going back to school When I first learned the Health Department did not want to schedule tests, when it was announced two weeks ago, I was stunned. The State Department of Health should be just as concerned.

I was also shocked that school districts as part of the health forms information they require every year from parents and guardians did not require parents to have their children tested within a month, two weeks or a week of school opening (the closer to opening the better), as having passed a covid-19 test negative with an official paper documenting the result. If the children had not had a Covid test, they would not be allowed to return to school.

There is still time parents and public health officials to require this. And make a mid course correction.

There is still time to delay school openings, as NYC has, to get this done.

The County has to request a school opening delay to get this done.

Thanks to the United Federation of Teachers, the bar has been set higher to reopen the NYC schools.

If Governor Cuomo is concerned that there will be outbreaks in schools as he is reported in the news story in The New York Times, he should make an Executive Order requiring Covid testing before the kids come to school.

It is too bad the colleges did not think of this, as part of students’ health documents.

The governor should divert the testing upstate to the school populations opening up.

If Westchester County test centers, public and private do not have the testing kits available, that is another issue, and it can’t be done.

But there is no excuse for not having adequate test kits available. The state is doing upwards of 80,000 tests a day. So a lot of people are being tested.

How about children, they’re people, too. Our most precious people.

School Districts should think seriously about delaying and getting test kits to test their incoming students. And the state and county should get the tests to them or administer them in an urgent manner.

A delay can be made up.

Lives end forever.

Futures stop.

Delay and test.

NY ABSENTEE BALLOT PORTAL IS NOW OPEN.

Posted on September 1, 2020 by John Bailey

All Registered New York Voters Can Request a Ballot Here

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of New York’s absentee ballot portal where voters can directly request an absentee ballot for the upcoming November 3rd election. The Governor acted by Executive Order to allow any voter concerned about risk or exposure to COVID during the ongoing pandemic to request an absentee ballot.

“As the November election approaches we know that many voters feel vulnerable in the midst of this pandemic,” Governor Cuomo said. “In line with the sweeping reforms we have implemented to make it easier for New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote, today we launch the online portal through which every registered voter concerned about COVID-19 can obtain an absentee ballot. Voting is the cornerstone of democracy and we want each and every voter to feel safe and secure in the exercise of voting.”

Last month, Governor Cuomo signed into law sweeping election reforms that will make it easier for New Yorkers to vote and be counted in November. These new measures Include allowing absentee ballot applications to be submitted to the Board of Elections immediately, allowing a voter to get an absentee ballot due to risk or fear of illness including COVID-19 and ensuring all absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day or received by the Board of Elections without a postmark on the day after the Election will be counted. Ballots with a postmark demonstrating that they were mailed on or before Election Day will be counted if received by November 10.

The Governor also issued an executive order to bolster and support New Yorkers’ right to vote. The order requires county boards of elections to take concrete steps to inform voters of upcoming deadlines, be prepared for upcoming elections and help ensure absentee ballots can be used in all elections.

GOVERNOR CUOMO ON COVID-19

Posted on September 1, 2020 by John Bailey

WPCNR CORONA VIRUS REPORT. From Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. September 1, 2020:

It’s been 184 days since New York’s first confirmed COVID case. Sunday, 66,241 tests were reported with 656 positive — a 0.99% infection rate. The total hospitalizations statewide dropped to 418, the lowest number since this crisis began, and there were 109 New Yorkers in ICUs — also the lowest number recorded. Sadly, we lost one New Yorker to COVID yesterday.

Again, this is the lowest number lost since the crisis began. Some perspective: There was a time where we lost hundreds of people every day. But New Yorkers took in the facts and acted responsibly. And together determined what the future held. Let’s not lose sight of how far we’ve come and let’s not forget what we’ve learned. It’s up to us, New York.

Here’s what else you need to know tonight:

1. SUNY Oneonta will transition to remote-learning for two weeks. Last week, the State released guidance that if a college experiences 100 COVID cases or an outbreak equal to 5 percent of its population (whichever is less) — that college MUST go to remote-learning for two weeks. In response to a cluster of COVID cases at SUNY Oneonta, the school with transition to remote-learning right away and the State will set up three rapid testing sites in Oneonta that will open Wednesday. Oneonta residents can call 1-833-NYSTRNG (1-833-697-8764) to make an appointment.

2. A reminder that rapid test sites are up and running in Western NY. Amid an uptick in cases in the region, the State set up eight new test sites, with results taking just 15 minutes. Residents MUST call and schedule an appointment —no walk-ins. Call 1-833-697-8764 to make an appointment.

3. New York needs federal funding to address the economic shortfalls of the pandemic. Monday, joined by labor leaders, I issued a letter calling on New York’s Congressional Delegation to provide $59 billion to address the catastrophic budget shortfalls resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the letter here.

4. Today is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. Election Day is fast approaching and the New York State and Local Board of Elections are asking registered voters to pitch in and help work the polls (a paid position). To be eligible, you must be a registered voter in New York State.

5. A guide to New York City museums as they begin to reopen. Last week, museums and cultural institutions in New York City were permitted to reopen while adhering to public safety guidelines. ILoveNY has put together a guide on opening details for these beloved institutions, and everything else you need to know about NYC’s museum reopenings.

6. The U.S. Open kicked off Monday. The United States Tennis Association and the State have worked together to make sure this iconic sports event could go on this year (with no spectators), with special precautions in place to ensure the safety of the players, as well as staff and all other personnel.

GREENBURGH ATTRACTS AMAZON, TESLA FOR NEW SITES

Posted on August 31, 2020 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE FEINER REPORT. From Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner August 31, 2020:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT – TESLA MOVING IN…AMAZON COMING TO TOWN – SHOPRITE FINALIZING CONSTRUCTION PLANS – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR TO BE HIRED

Some good news: Some high profile companies filling vacancies and bringing employment to the Town are planned.

Tesla, is actively retro-fitting the former Joyce Leslie building on Rt. 119, for a showroom/dealer location. The gas/station car wash across the street, also on the intersection of Rt. 119 and Hillside Avenue recently received conceptual NYSDOT approval for the updated car wash and Convenience store site plan. This project is before the Planning Board and, if approved, would include a new sidewalk, bus stop and landscaping.

Amazon plans a last-mile facility in the Elmsford warehousing portion of the Town.

A ShopRite supermarket is approved, along Saw Mill River Road, and will replace the former multiplex cinema. The developer is actively working on construction plans.

Statement from Amazon spokesperson

“We’re excited to continue our investment in the state of New York with the addition of a new AMXL operations location in Town of Greenburgh. Amazon has long provided delivery of large products such as televisions to couches, and we’re excited to continue expanding this offering to customers in the Westchester County area. We expect the site to open in 2020.”

The Town issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for outside assistance via and Economic Development specialist to assist in filling vacancies.

That RFQ was reissued with a COVID-related supplement and the Town has received responses from 12 individuals and firms seeking to assist the Town with Economic Development (in areas including Assistance navigating County, State and Federal economic recovery stimulus programs;

Assistance with private financial institutions/lenders regarding small business loans; Identifying toolkits, grants, and other assistance from non-profits and other organizations; Conducting surveys, one-on-one business outreach; Advising on land-use patterns/shifts; consumer behavioral shifts; etc.). The Town Board plans to conduct interviews with the most qualified of the responders in September/October.

Paul Feiner

Greenburgh Town Supervisor