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 ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Governor’s Press Office. (Edited) August 24, 2017:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the opening of the first span of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, an iconic twin-span cable-stayed crossing that will serve the Hudson Valley for the next century.

The Governor commemorated the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured more than 800 dignitaries and residents from Rockland and Westchester counties on the cable-stayed area of the first span.

The construction project is one of the largest in the nation and the biggest in the history of the New York State Thruway Authority. Four lanes of Rockland-bound traffic will begin crossing the first span late Friday night into Saturday morning.

“The new Mario M. Cuomo Bridge is much more than a magnificent, cutting-edge structure, it is a symbol for this state and this nation. The opening of this new span shows the world that we have our energy and our boldness back, that we will continue to accomplish greats things, and that we are building bigger and better than we have in decades,” Governor Cuomo said. “Excelsior reminds us that the motto of this state says reach even higher, and we’re not only building a new bridge with this in mind – we are building a new state and a stronger economy. This historic project is providing quality jobs, hope and opportunity to both residents and visitors of this state, and I look forward to future generations of New Yorkers crossing the Hudson River on this new bridge for the next 100 years.”

Governor Cuomo drove on the new bridge span in a 1955 Corvette with Armando “Chick” Galella, who drove the same model year Corvette as part of the inaugural procession that crossed the Tappan Zee Bridge on December 15, 1955. The Sleepy Hollow resident is a veteran and Bronze Star recipient who survived the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge will partially open to four lanes of Rockland-bound traffic overnight on Friday, August 25, weather permitting. For the next few months, northbound/westbound drivers on the New York State Thruway (I-87/I-287) will cross the Hudson River on the new bridge, while southbound/eastbound drivers will use the old bridge, each having four traffic lanes available. Later this fall, the new bridge will completely replace the 62-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge when four lanes of Westchester-bound traffic are also shifted onto the first span.

At Governor Cuomo’s direction, the New York State Thruway Authority has managed the bridge replacement project since 2013 with two fundamental objectives – first, to fully open the bridge to traffic in 2018, and second, to finish the bridge at or below the budgeted cost of $3.98 billion. Currently, the project remains on budget and on schedule, as construction of its second span continues to progress.

After all traffic has been shifted onto the first span, design-builder Tappan Zee Constructors will demolish the landings of the old bridge, which occupy the same footprint of the second span, and connect the second span to land. When completed, drivers will reap the full benefits of the 3.1-mile twin-span, which will include:

• Eight general traffic lanes;
• Four breakdown and emergency lanes;
• Space for future bus rapid transit and commuter rail;
• A bicycle and walking path with six unique viewing areas;
• Cashless tolling; and
• Energy-efficient LED lighting.

The original Tappan Zee Bridge, linking Rockland and Westchester, opened in December 1955 and there are now more than 140,000 vehicles crossing it daily.

As the first cable-stayed bridge ever built across the Hudson River, the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge uses steel cables placed at an angle to connect the bridge deck to vertical towers that extend high above the roadway. The bridge features eight 419-foot towers standing at a five-degree angle, and has a total of 192 stay cables that would stretch 14 miles if laid end-to-end. More than 110,000 tons of all-American steel is being used to build the bridge, and approximately 7,000 people have contributed to the project to date, totaling nearly 9 million work hours.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the New York State Education Department. August 26, 2017:  

The State Education Department Tuesday released the results of the 2017 Grades 3-8 English language arts (ELA) and mathematics tests. In ELA this year, the percentage of students in grades 3-8 who scored at the proficient level (Levels 3 and 4) increased by 1.9 percentage points to 39.8, up from 37.9 in 2016. In math, the percentage of students who scored at the proficient level increased this year to 40.2, up 1.1 percentage point from 39.1 in 2016.

“I’m encouraged by the modest improvements we’re seeing in our test scores,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “As I’ve always said, testing is just one piece of the puzzle to understand how students are performing. And that’s why our draft ESSA plan takes a more holistic approach to accountability – an approach that looks at multiple measures of school and student success. This allows us to continually evolve and adapt so we can ensure that our systems are culturally responsive and place an emphasis on educating the whole child.”

“Real progress takes time,” State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said. “So, the test scores we’re announcing today are a positive sign that we continue to steadily head in the right direction. We’ve taken a deliberate, inclusive and transparent approach to develop the State’s draft ESSA plan as well as changes to our standards and assessments. We’re confident that this careful approach will continue to yield benefits for our students.”

2017 Results

The State did not make significant changes to the ELA or math assessments administered in 2017. Therefore, the 2017 results can be compared with the 2016 results.

Big 5 City School Districts

In ELA this year, the percentage of all test takers in grades 3-8 who scored at the proficient level increased over last year in each of the Big 5 City School Districts. New York City’s proficiency increased by 2.6 percentage points to 40.6 percent, slightly exceeding the statewide average.

In the other Big 5 cities, student proficiency increased over last year as follows: Buffalo increased by 1.4 percentage points; Rochester increased by 0.9 percentage point; Syracuse increased by 2.2 percentage points; and Yonkers increased by 3.6 percentage points.

In math, the percentage of students in grades 3-8 who scored at the proficient level increased over last year in each of the Big 5 City School Districts; the gains in math were smaller than those in ELA. New York City’s proficiency increased by 1.4 percentage points; Buffalo increased by 1.1 percentage points; Rochester increased by 0.7 percentage point; Syracuse increased by 0.6 percentage point; and Yonkers increased by 3.7 percentage points.

Black and Hispanic Students

In 2017, ELA proficiency across all grades for black and Hispanic students increased over last year, with increases seen both statewide and in New York City. Statewide, black students saw a 2.8-percentage-point increase in those achieving proficiency while Hispanic students experienced a 2.4-percentage-point increase. In both cases, the increases were greater than those seen by white students, who experienced a 1.1- percentage-point increase statewide. As a result, the achievement gap in ELA that separates the proficiency of black and Hispanic students from their white peers closed slightly statewide.

In New York City, black students scoring at the ELA proficiency level increased 2.3 percentage points; Hispanic students increased 2.5 percentage points; and white students increased 2.1 percentage points.

Proficiency on the math exam statewide and in New York City also increased for black and Hispanic students this year; the gains, however, were less than in ELA.

English Language Learners

Statewide in ELA, proficiency increased for both “Ever ELLs” (students who received ELL services prior to, but not during, the 2016-17 school year) and “Current ELLs” (students who received ELL services in the 2016-17 school year). Ever ELL students performing at the proficiency level significantly increased by 5.5 percentage points this year and outperformed all grade 3-8 test-takers combined, statewide. Performance by Current ELL students improved by 1.2 percentage points.

In math, Ever ELL students scoring at the proficiency level increased by 3.2 percentage points, while Current ELL students experienced a 1.7 percentage-point increase.

Students with Disabilities

Across the state, the percentage of students with disabilities who scored at the proficient level increased in both ELA and math. While a greater percentage of students with disabilities reached proficiency in 2017, their performance on the state assessments continues to be significantly lower than the performance of general education students.

Charter Schools

The percentage of charter school students who scored at the proficient level on the ELA exam across grades 3-8 increased this year. Similar to last year, that increase was greater for students attending charter schools in New York City. Statewide, the proficiency of students in charter schools increased by 4.7 percentage points on the ELA exam; in New York City, proficiency increased by 5.2 percentage points. Charter schools outside of New York City increased by 2.0 percentage points, which is slightly higher gain than total public schools. However, the proficiency for students at rest of state charters remains below the statewide public school proficiency.

In math, student proficiency increased, but not as much as in ELA. Statewide, students in charter schools scoring at the proficient level increased by 2.8 percentage points on the math exam; in New York City, proficiency increased by 3.0 percentage points; and for rest of state charters, proficiency increased 1.5 percentage points. However, the proficiency for students at rest of state charters remains below the statewide public school proficiency.

Test Refusals

In 2017, the statewide test refusal rate was approximately 19 percent, a decline of two percentage points from last year’s refusal rate of approximately 21 percent.

A test refusal file by school district is available at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/pressRelease/20170822/home.html

Prior to 2016, SED tracked only the number of students not tested for an invalid or unknown reason. These students were categorized as “not tested.” The not tested count included students who were absent during the test administration period as well as students who refused the test; the count did not include students who were medically excused.

In 2017, students who refused the test were much more likely to be from low-need or average-need districts; much more likely to be white; less likely to be economically disadvantaged; and much less likely to be an English Language Learner.

Similar to last year, this year’s proficiency rates represent the more than 900,000 students who took the ELA and math tests. There is no statewide measure of knowledge and skill for those students who refused the test.

School and District Results

A summary of the test results, as well as individual school and district results, is available at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/pressRelease/20170822/home.html

Video and Audio Available

Video and audio of Commissioner Elia are available for download.

Video: http://www.nysed.gov/video/2017-grades-3-8-ela-and-math-assessment-results

Question & Answer Video: http://www.nysed.gov/video/2017-grades-3-8-ela-and-math-assessment-results-questions-and-answers

Question & Answer Audio: http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/2017-grades-3-8-ela-and-math-assessment-results-questions-and-answers.mp3

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2017. by John F. Bailey. August 22, 2017:

John Sheehan of the Gedney Association confirmed to WPCNR this morning that Mayor Thomas Roach’s Campaign Manager, Barry Caro had in an email informed him the Mayor would not attend tonight’s Democratic Primary Forum at 7 PM at The Woman’s Club of White Plains.

Mr. Roach’s three running mates, incumbent Councilman John Kirkpatrick and John Martin and first-time council nominee, Justin Brasch would also not attend, Sheehan said.

Last Thursday he received an e-mail from Caro saying the Mayor would not attend. Sheehan said the Mayor has been give a choice of three dates, the 8th, 15th and 22nd, but no response had been received before last Thursday.

Sheehan said the Mayor challenger, Milagros Lecuona, and council challengers, Michael Kraver, Arthur Goldman and Saad Siddiqui had been willing to come on all three dates and would be attending this evening.

Sheehan noted that the candidates who are coming will be asked why they are running, and asked about some southend town issues.

He said if any of the “no-show” candidates wanted to change their mind at the last minute they should just walk on in.

The Mayor was said to have a prior personal committment.

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. August 17, 2017:

More than 500 signatures from White Plains Democrats were reinstated when Judge Lawrence Ecker allowed for “WP” to be accepted in place of “White Plains.”

To read the ruling click: The decision reads, “…there should be no bar to the consideration of these signatures.  There is only one city involved in this election, namely White Plains, and only one city that the abbreviation “W.P.” can represent in Westchester County, namely White Plains.”
The record reads “…the Court determines that plaintiff have failed to establish, by clear and convincing evidence, that respondents’ designating petitions were permeated with fraud…On the facts adduced at the hearing, the Court finds there was no danger of fraud or confusion either to the Board or to the voters.”

Christine Senteno, a spokesperson for the Lecuona campaign told WPCNR, the Lecuona campaign has not been served with a notice of appeal of Judge Ecker’s ruling from plaintiffs, Willa Swiller, Steven Walfish, Thomas Roach, John Martin, John Kirkpatrick and Justin Brasch.

Senteno said given the time constraints going up against a September 12 primary date, the campaign should know in a few days whether an appeal will be forthcoming.

The White Plains Democratic primary will be held September 12.

If Judge Ecker’s ruling stands Lecuona will run for Mayor; her running mates Alan Goldman, Michael Kraver and Saad Siddiqui will run against Martin, Kirkpatrick and Brasch for Common Council.

“We won!  The Board of Elections said so.  The judge said so and Milagros’ supporters say so.  I worked hard walking door-to-door, standing in front of local stores, so I could collect pages of petition signatures and it feels good to know that White Plains voters will have a choice come the September 12 primaries,” said Ellen Berger, longtime White Plains resident, and Lecuona supporter.

“Of course, we are pleased with the outcome of this case because now those voters whose voices were in jeopardy of being silenced will now be heard.  It is a relief that we can finally focus on engaging White Plains voters instead of isolating them with legal battles,” said candidate Lecuona.

“There is no doubt innocent mistakes were made in the way we gathered our petitions.  Changes have been made so we can run an effective and efficient campaign.  So many volunteers worked very hard to ensure that I was able to get on the ballot and their efforts will not be in vain.  I want to thank them for their support and those who signed my petitions for their support,” Lecuona further explained

“This legal battle was an attempt to keep anyone who challenged the current power structure from speaking out.  It is a shame the party bosses are so intimidated by opposing opinions that they will go through such extremes to shut down their own voters, many of whom are women and people of color.  That and the FASNY issue are why I am shopping for a new mayor this election cycle,” said Yvonne Gumo,