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YOU’VE GOT
JIM KILLORAN CEO
OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
on the solutions for affordable housing in Westchester
ON
PEOPLE TO BE HEARD
ON THE INTERNET NOW
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WPCNR GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN. From the White Plains Historical Society. January 22, 2018:
The White Plains Historical Society celebrates George Washington’s 286th Birthday, Sunday February 25, 2018 at the Jacob Purdy House (Washington’s Headquarters), a National Historic Site, 60 Park Avenue, White Plains, NY 10603 1:00PM-3:00PM. Free admission and refreshments.
The event begins at 1:00PM Flag-raising ceremony as revolutionary war re-enactors are marched by General Washington. Guest speaker, Eastchester Town Historian, Dick Forliano will talk about “Westchester County and George Washington”.
“During the Revolutionary War, Washington was here in White Plains on two key dates, said John Vorperian, Society President,(shown in photograph above with President Washingon) “It’ll be interesting to hear how Washington led his troops through the County against the King George’s forces.”
For more information call 914.328.1776; e-mail info@whiteplainshistory.org or visit: www.whiteplainshistory.org
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WPCNR Monday. From the Westchester County Association January 22, 2018:
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FED PAYS A CALL
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AMAZON STILL HAS NY ON TOP 20 LIST FOR LOCATION OF HQ
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Brandon Eriq Vaughn Puryear,( center), on the dais, keynote Speaker at the 25th Anniversary Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast January 15.
WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. The 25th Anniversary White Plains Martin Luther King Jr Breakfast Keynote Speech by Brandon Eriq Vaughn Puryear delivered January 15, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel:
Hello everyone and Happy New Year, my name is Brandon Eriq Vaughn Puryear. I use all four names because my mother blessed me with them. I am a poet, actor and comedian.
Not listed… Son, Brother, Best friend, Dog Father but most importantly…I am a young African American leader in my community.
But how would you know any of that? By the way I dress, my glasses? Or maybe my smile. If I wasn’t standing up here, you wouldn’t know.
The world passes us by and each day we come across another person. We say Hello and keep walking. We say how are you doing and never truly want to know. We know what’s going on in the world but we don’t notice each other.
Today I want you to start having new meanings to your hellos. When you say how are you, mean it and when you console with the words “I’m here for you” be there like you’d wish someone would be there for you.
I stand before you because of my support system. Because people took interest in how I was doing. I wasn’t always this person. This took time and guidance from the right people.
Guidance from people who always noticed me when I didn’t notice myself. So please remember to notice one another and to keep finding new meanings to our existence because we are here for a reason and we are here together.
Martin Luther King Jr once said,
“ I say to you today, my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
And without seeing JUST a man or woman’s skin tone or social status. Martin Luther King Jr chose that day, August 28th, 1963, to begin a new and to create new meanings to our existence.
He wanted us to know that every other person you may come across, is just like you and me. A human being, trying to get through life the best way we know how.
The best way, for me at least because I can’t speak for everyone, but the best way for me…is to be vulnerable. Vulnerable with my emotions, how I speak, how I portray myself… vulnerable: being who I am for as long as I can. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
It takes time.
Like most anything does but when we choose to love. To mean our “Hellos” and “How are you doings?” life gets a bit easy to swallow. It gets easier to cast away the demons that may follow us on a daily… like anxiety & depression. I’ve dealt with both and here is something that came out of that…
This is…
– Difference –
I was happy yesterday, so I should be happy today?
They tell me everyday is a new day, so why don’t people understand when I say…there’s a difference
There’s a difference between my sadness today and my happiness of yesterday
There’s a difference between me hoping things will get better tomorrow…and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that
But deep down knowing, I’m dreading tomorrow…and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that
Today may be a new day but it brings with it new emotions, and they just love to play
Not a day goes by that I’m not afraid, asking myself “what will I do today”
Before I ultimately make the sacrifice to stay in bed
Because sleeping all day seems to be the best way to handle these emotions at play
They can’t play if I just lay still
But today is a new day, enjoy the sunshine…
There’s a difference in the sunshine of today and the sunshine of yesterday
And that sun don’t seem to shine on a black and white pantomime
When everyday you feel trapped in a box or pushed down by the wind
Screaming at the top of your lungs and bursting at the seems to escape the skin your in but…no one can hear you
But…IT.WILL.GET.BETTER
They say
Those who go about their day basking in the sun’s rays
While people like me can’t even control their emotion of the week, sorry..the day, but heyyy it.will.get.better
I keep hearing that
But there’s a difference between it will get better and it’s been like this for years so when will this “it get better” thing kick in because I’m ready to kick it in. Leave behind me a broken down door of horrors and fears and let the mornings melody serenade my ears…I’m deaf
Deaf to the sounds of a good vibe, deaf to the sound of a friend consoling my wounded slef because as this anxiety kicks in, it makes me ask…who am I to be so, Self
Who am I to take up somebody else’s time…on me
This anxiety makes me question my very being and why I’m, being
But there’s a difference between you and me…I’m actively working on me
You just see me, being sad and sometimes unhappy
Smiles one day and tears the next, asking what is wrong with me
But there’s a difference I know what’s wrong and you’re just judging me
Pushing me deeper and deeper into the abyss of unhappiness
Covered by a Cheshire Cat smile, while uttering the words “I’m fine”
A daily line I force feed myself so I don’t get judge or impede on someone’s sunshiny rays of the day
But there’s a difference, because as I work so hard to hide the fact that I’m not ok. Hide from judgment and make it seem like my day is like your day, anxiety and his friend depression meet up and judge me like a stallion in the Kentucky derby…not fit to grace the winner circle…not fit to even run the race
Today is a new day but…there’s a difference – (Brandonevp)
We must teach our youth that dark days will come and that even in our darkest days, there will always be a shining light. Because as the song goes “Trouble don’t last always”.
And when you wake each morning it’s a new day and we must make it count. We lived yesterday and there is nothing we can change about it.
But today we can start by Uplifting one another, supporting each other, spreading LOVE to each other and take notice of who you come in contact with.
Martin Luther King’s dream did not die with him. It is our job, No, our duty to make sure his dream never dies. To make sure we start anew. To make sure our lives have meaning. To make sure we celebrate our differences, not condemn them –
As a young black man in this world I had questions about who I am and who I should be. Where I’m going and where I came from. How I got here and how would I get to where I need to be.
As I got older I wondered why my blackness wasn’t enough for my white friends. Why the way I speak wasn’t black enough for my black friends. Why my posture and good manners made me a target for words I can’t repeat and gestures I dare not show.
As I got older, I stopped wondering. I realized I just had to be me.
There was no box I could fit in and no circle I couldn’t be a part of. I wrote “Difference” because I was going through depression and severe anxiety. I was a teenager. I wanted people to understand they were not alone. That these things can happen to anyone.
Our youth needs to know that you are there for us and are willing to listen. Whether they are going through depression, anxiety, homelessness, abuse, suicidal thoughts or any type or situation. Take our hand and lead us to this position where I stand in front of you today. Teach us to be leaders. We are strong but the parents know we are hard headed. But we are also the future. If you have us, if you notice us…you have the world.
And so I will leave you with this last poem called…
– Unclear –
What am I doing here?
A question that I ask myself…still unclear
What am I doing here?
I have no right!!
I fear the end is near
Dead end after dead end
When will it end?
I’m busy all the time
Reading lines and making rhymes
Sharing my talents and breathing these words…I’m done
Is what I want to say…I’m done
No more games, no more fun
I’m completely done
Done with moving forward and looking back
Back to small rooms, starvation and anxiety attacks
Small rooms in my mind, getting smaller day by day
Starving my creativity, a voice I silenced…kept at bay
Giving me anxiety attacks, crippling and utterly dreadful they were…I thought I’d never survive
Never survive like my daddy who left me behind
Shot dead by a trigger that he pulled
Little did he know he shot me too
Heartbroken, saddened and angry I was…still am, to be honest
I hated me and blamed the world
So I constantly asked myself…What am I doing here?
Here to be reminded of betrayal when I look in the mirror?
Here to be hated by myself when I wake in the morning?
Here to be broken over and over, year after year?…to no avail, I break down in tears
At some point the tears stopped coming out
I realized my body and soul had enough
They told me “boy suck it up”
No longer will I be the victim of circumstance
They said “you used to be strong”
I used to be a force to be wrecked with
But at that time I was the leaf in a hurricane
Letting people wash me away as I crumbled in defeat
My body and soul had enough
So I finally stood up!
Brandon was back and ready to be
To be what he was meant to be
Yea it’s all bittersweet but can’t nobody be me like me!
The attitude, the anger, the laugh, the sass…it all came flowing back
I found who I was
I FOUND WHO I AM!!!
A fun loving, no care in the world, non filter having Buddhist…so I say to you…I’M HERE!!
To embody who I truly am
To be 100% me 100% of the time
No fear for what may happen…this anxiety is no longer my captain
So…WHAT AM I DOING HERE?!?!
To be me!
To uplift people with this shining personality
To bring life with my smile and joy with my laughter….I’m here…to be uniquely me
To change the world with my words and love whoever needs love in return
I am designed by the cosmos, birthed from a Queen and loved by a kingdom…
WHAT AM I…doing here!?!?!
A question that I ask myself…
Is it still unclear?
Thank you for your love and time. It is truly an honor to stand up here in front of you all. Be blessed and please start to notice each other… Thank you
Thank you,
Brandon Eriq Vaughn Puryear
Actor/Poet/Comedian
Brandonevp
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WPCNR WASHINGTON WIRE. From the NATCA. January 20, 2018:
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi and Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert issued a statement this morning condemning the shutdown of the federal government now underway, calling it the clearest proof that the status quo is broken, and a stable, predictable funding stream for the National Airspace System is essential:
“A government shutdown harms the National Airspace System (NAS). Employees, such as air traffic controllers, who are required to work during the shutdown don’t know when they will receive their next paycheck. They cannot be paid until the government is again able to expend funds.
“Making matters worse, these employees won’t have the support for them and their team that is so important in making the system work well. While all NATCA members perform duties that are critical and essential to the NAS, more than 3,000 NATCA-represented employees have been furloughed.
These furloughed members work across our bargaining units at air traffic control and other FAA facilities. They are among the hundreds of thousands of federal employees negatively affected by the government shutdown. When these professionals are prohibited from working as a result of political brinksmanship, the flying public and the NAS suffer.
“Whether the shutdown lasts one hour, one day, one week, or more, it reinforces our strong belief that the status quo is broken. The NAS requires a stable, predictable funding stream in order to adequately support: air traffic control services, staffing, hiring and training, long-term modernization projects, preventative maintenance, ongoing modernization to the physical infrastructure, and the timely implementation of NextGen modernization projects.
The NAS continues to be challenged by the lack of a stable, predictable funding stream. The constant funding crises that arise from stop-and-go funding continue to wreak havoc on our system and perpetuate the current staffing crisis, which has resulted in a 29-year low of certified professional controllers.
“We will not rest until Congress ends the shutdown. In the long term, we will continue to advocate for the kind of change that will ensure the NAS has a stable, predictable funding stream for years to come.”
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JOHN BAILEY AND PETER KATZ
INTERVIEW
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY LEGISLATORS
ON
HIS DUTIES
HIS MANAGEMENT STYLE
LEGISLATION THE BOARD WILL TAKE UP FIRST
HOW THE IMMIGRANT PROTECTION ACT CAN WORK FOR THE COUNTY AND THE GOVERNMENT
THE PLAYLAND SITUATION–HOW THE BOARD WILL REVIEW IT.
THE AIRPORT DEAL WHAT THE BOARD’S OBJECTIVES ARE
WHY THE BUDGET IS BEING AUDITED BY THE COMPTROLLER
AND MORE
AROUND THE WORLD ANYTIME ON
www.wpcommunitymedia.org
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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Chairman of the Board of Legislators, Benjamin Boykin. January 18, 2018:
Newly-elected Board of Legislators (BOL) Chairman Benjamin Boykin (D) White Plains, Scarsdale and West Harrison and BOL Vice-Chair Alfreda Williams (D) Elmsford, Greenburgh, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, have announced a redesigned committee structure for the 2018-19 legislative term.
The Westchester County Charter mandates that the BOL maintain two specific committees, the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Legislation Committee. Additional committees and their membership are determined at the Chairman’s prerogative.
Following consultation with all Legislators, Chairman Boykin has assigned committee chairmanships that ensure each of the 17 Legislators will chair a committee or serve in a BOL leadership position.
The BOL Leadership positions for the 2018-2019 term are:
Board of Legislators Chair – Ben Boykin
Board of Legislators Vice-Chair – Alfreda Williams
Majority Leader – Catherine Parker
Minority Leader – John Testa
Majority Whip – MaryJane Shimsky
Minority Whip – Gordon Burrows
The BOL Committees, meeting times and Chairs for the 2018-2019 term are:
Budget & Appropriations, Mondays at 10:00AM – Catherine Borgia
Legislation, Mondays at 1:00PM – Virginia Perez
Rules, as needed – Comprised of BOL leadership
Law & Major Contracts, as needed – Lyndon Williams
Appointments, Mondays at 4:30PM – Christopher Johnson
Public Works, Tuesdays at 11:00AM – MaryJane Shimsky
Labor & Housing, Mondays at 2:00PM – Damon Maher
Social Services, 1st, 2nd, 4th Tuesdays of each month at 10:00AM – Kitley Covill
Environment, Health & Energy, Tuesdays at 1:00PM – Nancy Barr
Seniors & Constituents, 3rd Tuesday each month at 10:00AM – David Tubiolo
Parks, Planning & Economic Development, Mondays at 9:00AM- Mike Kaplowitz
Public Safety, Mondays at 3PM – Margaret Cunzio
Intergovernmental Services, Mondays at 12:00PM – Jim Maisano
All BOL Committee meetings are open to the public and are streamed live on the BOL website. An archive of previous meetings can be viewed on the BOL website as well.
Chairman Boykin said of the committee appointments, “Much of the important work of creating Legislation and performing oversight of County operations takes place around the committee table. I believe that in order for a legislative body to be robust and effective, all Legislators must be engaged and accountable. In determining the membership of each of these committees, my aim was to match the experience and skill sets of individual Legislators with the mission and objective of their committee assignments. The BOL will be taking on many critical pieces of Legislation quickly and I am confident that we have the right people and committees in place to fully and objectively review those proposals.”
Vice-Chair of the BOL Alfreda Williams said, “I congratulate my colleagues on their committee appointments and leadership positions. Over the next two years, every member of this Legislature has a tremendous opportunity to help restore the fiscal health of Westchester County and to help us return to social policies of inclusion and fairness for all of our residents.”
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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. JANUARY 17, 2018:
One of WPCNR’s readers has passed along this report about a scam involving an unexpected delivery that cost the victim $4,000.White Plains Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong released this statement to WPCNR:
“We have not had any reported incidents of this nature. We do however ask everyone to be cognizant of who they give their credit card too. Keep an eye on your bills and have the credit company or bank notify you of any large purchases or strange purchases on any of your credit or debit cards.”
Here is their report:
Here is our reader’s report, as told to them by the victim:
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This is very clever. `I would probably fall for it if not warned. Give this wide distribution. This scam is actually very clever. Just when you thought you’d heard it all. Be very careful out there! Beware of people bearing gifts.
The following is a recounting of the incident from the victim:
Wednesday a week ago, I had a phone call from someone saying that he was from some outfit called: “Express Couriers,” (The name could be any courier company). He asked if I was going to be home because there was a package for me that required a signature.
The caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in roughly an hour. Sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and a bottle of wine. I was very surprised since there was no special occasion or holiday, and I certainly didn’t expect anything like it. Intrigued, I inquired as to who the sender was.
The courier replied, “I don’t know, I’m only delivering the package.”
Apparently, a greeting card was being sent separately. (The card has never arrived!) There was also a consignment note with the gift.
He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 “delivery/ verification charge,” providing proof that he had actually delivered the package to an adult (of legal drinking age), and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor.
This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the delivery company required payment to be by credit or debit card only, so that everything is properly accounted for, and this would help in keeping a legal record of the transaction.
He added, “Couriers don’t carry cash to avoid loss or likely targets for robbery.”
My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled out his credit card, and ‘John,’ the “delivery man,” asked him to swipe the card on a small mobile card machine with a small screen and keypad. Frank, my husband, was asked to enter his PIN number and a receipt was printed out. He was given a copy of the transaction.
The guy said everything was in order, and wished us good day.
To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and the following Monday, $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines.
Apparently the “mobile credit card machine,” which the deliveryman carried now had all the info necessary to create a “dummy” card with all our card details including the PIN number.
Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us a new card, and our credit/debit account was closed.
We also personally went to the Police, where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit.
WARNING: Be wary of accepting any “surprise gift or package,” which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything
If you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is.
Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction!
PLEASE Pass this on, it may just prevent someone else from being swindled.
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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Office of Governor Andrew M.Cuomo. January 17, 2018:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled the FY 2019 Executive Budget Tuesday, which continues the state’s efforts to deliver on the promise of progressive government by protecting taxpayers against devastating federal action, strengthening the middle class, cutting taxes and making smart investments in New York’s future. For the eighth consecutive year, the Budget is balanced and holds spending growth below two percent.
The robust agenda includes a number of proposals – from fighting the federal tax assault to ending the opioid epidemic by holding pharmaceutical companies accountable to investing record amounts in education – that will continue to increase opportunity for New Yorkers and ensure the Empire State continues to serve as a beacon of equality, unity and fairness for the nation.
“For the past eight years, we have restored fiscal discipline while achieving historic progressive accomplishments and strengthening middle class New Yorkers. The FY 2019 Budget builds on our strong record and continues to move New York forward, by protecting taxpayers against the federal assault, investing in education to support and train the next generation, and implementing bold progressive policies to make New York a more just and fair state for all,” Governor Cuomo said. “Together, we will continue to deliver on the promise of progressive government -even while tackling unprecedented challenges head on. We will restore citizen confidence and ensure management competence. This bold agenda charts a path forward toward a better future for all New Yorkers.”
Highlights of the FY 2019 Executive Budget: