Multi-million $$$ City Closing of TCE-Ridden LandFill to Begin. Approval Soon

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WPCNR THE GREEN NEWS. September 28, 2011:


New York State Department of Environmental Conservation press officer Wendy Rosenbach informed WPCNR the department will be giving final approval to a plan for the city to close the Gedney Landfill “shortly,” Rosenbach told WPCNR, with a few minor changes..


 


Final approval for capping the dump and prevention of TCE leakage into the Mamroneck River adjacent the dump, will allow Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti to send the entire project out for bid, which has not been done yet, pending the final approval, (as recently told WPCNR by City Chief of Staff John Callahan).


 


Estimates for the closure plan two years ago set the cost to the city as $8 to $10 Million, which may raise city debt service in the new budget.


 


The Final Approval will also allow the city to begin its total resodding of the Our Lady of Sorrows baseball field adjacent the dump to create a soil buffer between the TCE-contaminated soil in the field and athletes playing on the surface.


 


 

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Governor Intros $4B Millimeter Chip Project. Saves 2,500 jobs, adds 950 at IBM

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Governor’s Press Office.(EDITED) September 27, 2011:


Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State has entered into agreements providing for investments valued at a total of $4.4 billion over the next five years from five leading international companies to create the next generation of computer chip technology. IBM fascilities in Westchester County at East Fishkill and Yorktown Heights in Westchester will see 900 new jobs and 2,500 positions retained as part of the program.


The five companies involved are Intel, IBM, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, TSMC and Samsung. New York State secured the investments in competition with countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.


The agreements mark an historic level of private investment in the nanotechnology sector in New York. Research and development facilities will be located in Albany, Canandaigua, Utica, East Fishkill and Yorktown Heights. In addition, Intel separately agreed to establish its 450mm East Coast Headquarters to support the overall project management in Albany.


 


“This unprecedented private investment in New York’s economy will create thousands of jobs and make the state the epicenter for the next generation of computer chip technology,” Governor Cuomo said.


“IBM, which is celebrating 100 years in New York, Intel, which is making its most significant investment in New York, as well as TSMC, Global Foundries and Samsung now recognize that the state is on its way to becoming a premier location for jobs, which is why these companies are making this major investment. In the last nine months, my administration has worked to create a more confident environment for doing business in New York, and major deals like this one prove that the state is truly open for business.”


The investment in these two efforts will result in the creation and retention of approximately 6,900 jobs. That number includes 2,500 additional high-technology positions comprising of:



  • 800 at CNSE Albany NanoTech Complex

  • 950 at IBM – Yorktown Heights and IBM – East Fishkill,

  • 450 at SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) in Utica

  • 300 at CNSE’s Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center in Canandaigua

In addition, approximately 1,500 construction jobs will be created in Albany and 400 in Utica. As a result of the investment 2,500 existing jobs in Albany, Canandaigua and East Fishkill will be retained.


No private company will receive any state funds as part of the agreement.


To support the project, New York State will invest $400 million in the SUNY College for Nanoscale and Science Engineering (CNSE) in Albany, including $100 million for energy efficiency and low cost energy allowances. The state investment in CNSE will be made over a five year period. The state investment will be directed entirely to CNSE, and all tools and equipment acquired through the investment will be owned by CSNE.


Paul Otellini, Intel Corporation President and CEO said, “The Global 450 Consortium is a critical element to moving the semiconductor industry to next generation wafer size. This new technology will reduce the cost of production, increase productivity for manufacturers and reduce our environmental footprint on a per chip basis. The involvement of the College for Nanoscale and Science Engineering and the State of New York will enable the industry to meet its goals.”


The investment in the state is made up of two projects.


 The first project, which will be led by IBM and its partners, will focus on making the next two generations of computer chips. These new chips will power advanced systems of all sizes, including, among other things computers and national security applications. This new commitment by IBM brings its total investment in chip technology in New York to more than $10 billion in the last decade.


The second project, which is a joint effort by Intel, IBM, TSMC, Global Foundries and Samsung, will focus on transforming existing 300mm technology into the new 450mm technology. The new technology will produce more than twice the number of chips processed on today’s 300 mm wafers thus lowering costs to deliver future generations of technology with greater value and lower environmental impact.


This investment will have other beneficial economic impacts in New York. The project will include a private “Made in NY” initiative to support the potential purchase of $400 million in certain tools and equipment from companies around New York State to create, attract, and retain manufacturers and suppliers across the state.


In addition, the companies will support a $15 million fund to increase the role of minority and women owned businesses. These technology developments may facilitate the possibility of building a 450mm plant in New York state. These plants are projected to cost in excess of $10 billion each.


Semiconductors are central to modern devices from computers and cell phones to automobiles and airplanes and the industry is the cornerstone of the “innovation economy.” Semiconductors are the nation’s largest export industry and generate billions of dollars in revenue. New York State’s investments in the semiconductor industry began in 1988 with the establishment of the advanced semiconductor program at SUNY Albany under the SUNY Graduate Research Initiative created by Governor Mario Cuomo and was cemented in 1993 with the establishment of the Center for Advanced Technology at SUNY Albany by Governor Mario Cuomo, which later became the basis for the College of Nanoscale Engineering.

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FASNY: $22M Yearly to W.P. 85-Acre Preserve. Traffic Fits. Decision: 2012

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. By John F. Bailey. September 27, 2011 UPDATED 2:15 P.M. E.D.T. UPDATED 12 NOON E.D.T. September 28, 2011:


 


The French American School of New York promised  their 1,200-student, three-school complex planned for the defunct Ridgeway Country Club property would generate for White Plains $22 Million in annual revenues from sales, property and mortgage taxes, and direct construction revenues of $108 Million, including 751 construction jobs worth $37 Million alone.


 


The campus design traffic plan proposes entrance into the proposed campus and egress from it via Ridgeway Avenue only, using Hathaway Lane as the exit route. FASNY officials said there would be no northern exit route (to Bryant Avenue) allowed on Hathaway Lane.


 


In a traffic capacity analysis, FASNY maintained that the capacity of Ridgeway and surrounding streets, based on vehicle counts for Ridgeway Avenue, Mamaroneck Avenue, Bryant Avenue and North Street figures from the White Plains Commissioner of Traffic, Tom Soyk, could handle the expected increase in vehicles.


 


The estimated increase in traffic on Ridgeway is estimated to be 2,504 more vehicles at pick-up and drop-off times of the school, a total 7,504 vehicles the entire day average,up from the present 5,000. 


 


City capacity estimates for that road would increase with the addition of the school traffic Ridgeway volume 13% to a total of 40% (7,504) of its Ridgeway Avenue designed capacity of about 19,000 vehicles a day. Design of interior parking drop-offs included an arrangement that Councilman Benjamin Boykin likened to a Hertz Rent-a-Car dropoff. Councilperson Beth Smayda worried about student drivers adding to the traffic flow.


 


(WPCNR Editor’s Note, clarified from a reader’s question:   The figure of 2,500 additional cars, buses  a day estimated to be added by the school is the average total vehicles added for the day.)


 


Geoff Thompson, spokesman for the French American School of New York clarified to WPCNR Thursday that 2,504 is the total increased traffic at the peak hours, in a statement today as first reported by WPCNR in this story. Thompson comfirmed that 1,170 vehicles was in the original Environmental assessment Form and the 2,504 figure is a doubling of that and refers only to the peak hour increases, only incremental  increases are expected on the hours when school is in session.


 



 


The presentation promised state-of-the-art recycling of storm water they claimed would sharply reduce the outflow of storm water during extensive rains. They explained that the existing lake on the property had existed prior to 1974, and that their suspension of irrigation of the club property had already cutback on flooding conditions, citing public comment to that effect.


 


Michael Zarin, the lead spokesperson and counsel for FASNY said the scope of the FASNY proposal matches most of the objections of the draft recreation lands zoning being considered by the city. Afterwards, WPCNR asked the affect of the setbacks demanded by the draft city ordinance applying to schools. Zarin said, “we’re hoping they will change that.”


The proposal expands the building portion of the property by 3% to 8.69% of the property. Currently, existing buildings, tennis courts and parking for the clubhouse, pool and outbuildings occupy 5.6% of the property.


 


Michael Zarin, the school counsel  (Zarin & Steinmetz) spearheading the presentation, said FASNY would preserve 85 acres for “passive recreation,” and place it under the management of a public-private land management concern. He said FASNY is in talks with the Westchester Trust for Public Land as a possibility for such an arrangement. Renderings were shown of trail paths through the 85 acres as FASNY vision for the project


 


Councilman Benjamin Boykin said in his comments that the process had a long way to go, but that he wanted FASNY to explain how they obtained their revenue estimates as one of his concerns, and of course, traffic.


 


Councilman David Buchwald brought out the condition that the proposed theatre and WPCNR believes the Gymnasium are built into a raised parking lot as part of a hill. No model was presented by FASNY and no topography street level view was presented.


 


Councilmen Dennis Power and John Martin did not comment. Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona asked FASNY to recolor the Lee property from the drawing of the site plan because it was misleading.


 


At the close, Mayor Tom Roach announced a Scoping session to receive public input on the project is scheduled for the next Common Council meeting October 3, in which the public is invited to comment on matters to be included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement preparation.


 


At the close, Mr. Zarin also presented a timeline for the city indicating that the school expected to furnish the Draft Environmental Impact Statement this winter; the Public Hearing on the DEIS and Hearing on the Special Permit in Spring 2012; furnishing the Final Environmental Impact Statement  by next summer; adopting the SEQRA findings by next fall, and expects a decision on the application in December 2012, 9 months before the next Mayoral election (November, 2013).


 


The proposal moved briskly for an hour and a half . but because it was a work session (Mayor Roach emphatically announced it was not a Special Meeting  of the Common Council, as it was noticed as same) it was seen only by the 35 persons who attended, even though the Common Council chambers where it was held were equipped for television and live internetcast. 


 


The crowd included about 17 persons who were citizenry with about 18 persons representing FASNY, neighborhood officials and the City. Only those attending saw the complete breadth and depth of the FASNY proposal, rivaling those of developer Louis Cappelli presentations a decade ago.


 


No explanation was given by city hall for the decision not to telecast or internet the presentation. Karen Pasquale, Senior Advisor to the Mayor, wrote in a statement to WPCNR this morning, “Tonight’s work session will not be televised. Consistent with past practice, work sessions are not televised.”

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Columbus Day Italian-American Festival This Weekend

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WPCNR EVENTS. From the Mayor’s Office. September 26, 2011:


A little bit of Italy and more comes to the campus of White Plains High School this fall with the 2nd annual Columbusb Day Festival, a fun-filled, three-day celebration held as part of the October Italian Heritage and Culture Month festivities. Organized by The White Plains Columbus Day Parade Committee Inc. in cooperation with The City of White Plains, the event promises to offer something for all ages.


“We’re very excited to do this for the community because it’s family-oriented,” said Committee Chairperson Frank Tarone. “We’re expecting lots of families, lots of grandparents with grandkids who are excited because they can all do things together,” he added.



In addition to the food and traditional carnival rides and games, the Festival will have vendors offering a diverse list of retail items, including jewelry, crafted goods and toys. Attendees will have ample opportunities to be entertained by the numerous and varied performers that are scheduled to appear. While Italian American musical acts dominate the line-up, there’s also a Caribbean-inspired dance band (The LINC) on the program for Friday night. Additionally, several local performing arts schools will showcase their talented student ensembles during the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.


“We also want to keep up our Italian Heritage,” remarked Committee Chairman Tarone, noting that this year’s Italian heritage theme, the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy, is a time to reflect on the country’s rich heritage. It’s a heritage that fostered the “spirit of exploration and courage that inspired Christopher Columbus’s 1492 expedition that we commemorate with the Festival.” White Plains Mayor Thomas M. Roach is set to officiate at Friday’s opening night ceremonies to officially proclaim October as Italian Heritage and Culture Month in the City,and acknowledge the many contributions Italian Americans have made to the city.


Another highlight of the Festival will be the presentation of the 2011 Miss Columbus by David bPope of the Generoso Pope Foundation. White Plains High School senior Daniela Mangano is the recipient of this year’s scholarship award made possible by the Pope Foundation, one of the event’s primary sponsors. Wells Fargo and the Journal News are additional sponsors, as are Cappelli Enterprises, Inc., Community Mutual Savings Bank and Tony Casale, Inc. among others.


A full schedule of events and performance times is listed on the event website at


www.columbusdayparade.com with pertinent information as follows:


WHEN Friday, September 30: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM


Saturday, October 1: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM


Sunday, October 2: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM


WHERE On the Campus of White Plains High School


550 North Street, White Plains, NY


Enter on the North Street Entrance. Admission and Parking are Free.


MUSIC Host DJ Ken is the MC throughout the entire Festival


Friday: Linc Band, Alfio


Saturday: Salvo Randazzo, Don Felice, Gianni (Organetto)


Sunday: Primavera


PERFORMANCES Saturday: La Piazza di Carolina, City Center Dance Troup,


NY Performing Arts Dancers, Bushido School of Karate


Sunday: WP Taiko/Sakura Drum Team, WPHS Marching Band,


The Flynn School Irish Dancers


For more information or to participate in the Festival, contact Committee Co-Chair Mario


Cermele at (914) 325-1239.


About the White Plains Columbus Day Parade Committee, Inc.


The White Plains Columbus Day Parade Committee, Inc., (WPCDPC) is a branch of the


Antonio Meucci Lodge #213, Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), in White Plains, NY. A


501(c)(3), all-volunteer organization, the WPCDPC works to preserve and promote Italian


heritage and promote education and study of the Italian language through its scholarship


programs. All proceeds of the Festival go towards its scholarship programs and help fund other


charitable endeavors. The Antonio Meucci Lodge is a subordinate Lodge of the Order Sons of


Italy in America, the oldest and largest national organization in the US of Italian American men


and women. For more information about the Lodge, visit www.antoniomeuccilodge.com.


#

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3.5% Rate of Metro NY-NJ inflation Puts Pressure on City Police-Fire Negotiation

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. September 26, 2011:


 


The inflation rate for the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan area was running at a 3.5% annual rate through August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The escalating inflation looms as extra pressure now as city negotiations with the police, fire and teamsters unions continue.


 


Though WPCNR awaits a call back from  Robert Riley,  the President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association, Joe Carrier, President of the White Plains Firefighters union did and said the inflation rate certainly is a consideration. Asked what was happening on the negotiations with the city, Carrier said,


 


“There’s not too much to report. Negotiations are moving forward. We’re negotiating in good faith. It’s premature to think (binding) arbitration. We’re negotiating now to address certain issues. We now have one rig completely out of service (not staffed). We are down  15 firefighters .”


 


Asked if the city was committed by the terms of accepting a federal grant last spring to rehire 7 firefighters layed off in 2010, not to layoff any firefighters, Carrier confirmed that. “They are committed for two years.” This apparently means any salary increase could not be funded through layoffs of the firefighters. Carrier said he also hoped to resolve the issue on health insurance for retirees now in federal court with the city.


 


 Carrier said the inflation rate could justify some kind of increase. He thought an arbitrator might take the inflation momentum very seriously.


 


In the last police and fire union contract settled through binding arbitration in 2009,  the city chose to go to binding arbitration and was told to award police and fire 3.75% raises which they did. To see that report go to http://www.whiteplainscnr.com/article7781.html


 


 


 

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City Funds $1.5M of $5 M HUD Grant-Funded Community Ed Center at Winbrook

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WPCNR  THE DEVELOPER NEWS. From The Mayor’s Office. September 26, 2011 UPDATED SEPTEMBER 27, 2011:


Mayor Tom Roach and White Plains Housing Authority Executive Director Mack Carter  announced Friday that the Housing Authority has secured a $3.5 million grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The grant will come through HUD’s Capital Fund Education and Training Community (CFCF) Facilities Program and will be used by the Housing Authority to jump start the transformation of the Winbrook neighborhood in the City. The City of White Plains has also committed to contributing $1.5 million toward the cost of the project.


In a statement from Karen Pasquale, Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Wednesday, the project is explained as the first part of the first tower to be built at Winbrook:


“The Community Education Facility is planned for the area of Winbrook near the intersection of South Lexington and Quarropas. No existing structure will need to be knocked down in order to build it. The new structure, which will house the community education center on the lower floors and have residential units on the upper floors, is the first step in the revitalization of the Winbrook neighborhood. The Slater Center is not a part of this HUD grant.”


Calls have been put in to Mack Carter, Executive Director of the White Plains Housing Authority, for more details on how this decision to build a base floOr community center to start a building will affect design and marketing of the project,H mixed income residential project.


John Callahan, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff told WPCNR  Monday evening the city commitment to $1.5 Million was approved at a Common Council Special meeting several months ago when the community center was discussed. Callahan told WPCNR the life of the grant requires design within two years and completion within four years.


Specifically, the grant’s capital funding will be used for the construction of a Community Education Facility that will offer comprehensive, integrated services to help residents of public housing as well as the surrounding community achieve better educational and economic outcomes resulting in long-term economic self-sufficiency. The Winbrook Community Education Facility will provide additional and improved space for the provision of adult education, job/skills training, youth-at-risk and entrepreneurship programs, as well as community-based services through a cadre of strong partners that include City of White Plains Youth Bureau, the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Investment Board, the White Plains School District, the Business Council of Westchester, and Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Education Services.


The development plan for the Winbrook Community Education Facility entails new construction of a 13,500 square foot facility. The facility has been designed to accommodate social and educational programs ranging from adult education, job training, youth programs, as well as potential dance, music, and theater programs.


There will be flexible meeting rooms that can also be used as classrooms. A computer lab as well as a culinary arts training space, greenhouse, gallery/exhibit space and administrative offices will be housed in the facility. Design development is expected to begin in 2012 and the building will be in operation by 2015.


Mayor Roach said, “Receipt of this grant is the culmination of a long process in which many pulled together to ensure that the City and Housing Authority are able to take the first, crucial steps forward on a comprehensive re-design plan for Winbrook, which is long overdue. It is also an affirmation of the hard work of Executive Director Mack Carter and his staff. In addition, this process required the cooperation of a number of City departments and of my colleagues on the Common Council, who, together with the Housing Authority, have showed how successful we can be when we work together.”


Mack Carter, Executive Director of the White Plains Housing Authority, said, “This funding is going to help the downtown White Plains community support job training and educational programming for both low income families and the White Plains community at-large. We’re going to build a community center and this will help support the building of that community center. The Board of Commissioners has worked hard to secure this grant and this will be simply amazing for us.”


This was a highly competitive grant. HUD received 58 applications from across the nation and of those 58, made awards to only five public housing authorities for grants totaling $14,535,985. The funds enable the development or rehabilitation of facilities that offer education and/or employment training services to help public housing residents to achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency. As one of the five recipients of funding, HUD commended the City and Housing Authority for their “efforts to create community facilities that connect housing with quality education and training resources.”


The project will be the second grant project from HUD in the last eight years involving Winbrook. HUD helped pay for a $2.4 Million Housing Authority headquarters added to 223 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. (Shown below)



White Plains Housing Authority Headquarters, $2.4 Million project completed in 2006 — also from a Nita Lowey-assisted grant.


 

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Playland Committee Doesn’t Make Pick. Astorino: Closing Park an Option in 2012

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. By John F. Bailey, September 22, 2011:


Playland might close in 2012, due to unsustainable losses, County Executive Robert Astorino told a news conference today, but he would not sell the property.


The County Executive said the next step in finding a way to make Playland financially viable will his administrative departments evaluating and finding an organization structure that could run the park at breakeven, that a profit was not necessary. He also said that he wanted to save Playland for future generations.


He made the remarks as the Citizens Committee evaluating  proposals for Playland restructuring from 12 organizations presented its “Reinventing Playland Park for the 21st Century” report today to the County Executive this morning.


The Committee did not single out any one organization as being the best choice to take over Playland management. They noted that Central Amusements International (which took over Coney Island operations), Standard Amusements, and Sustainable Playland (a start-up proposed non-profit organization) “fit RFP responsiveness and feasibility criteria and deserve further attention,” with three other firms,American Skating Entertainment Centers, Q Properties and State Fair Group “have some potential role, but may not fit within the feasibility criteria and scope of the RFP” Jim Chisholm, Chair of the Committee said the committee thought combinations of organization proposals made sense.


County Executive Astorino in the news conference that followed, said the next step will be for the county legal, financial and parks teams (with access to financial information of the companies)to evaluate the proposals and possibilities, with Astorino making the decision in early 2012.


In the course of the news conference he said that the county faced a $100 Million deficit next year as the budget development begins. He said Playland would lose the county $5 Million, (of which $3 Million in debt service)in 2012, and “all options were on the table,” including closing of the park for 2012. He said Playland lost the most money of all county parks and golf courses and recreation activities.


He said Playland attendance declined this summer from 500,000 to 420,000 attendees. He said it cannot go on this way,and now was the time to fix it.


Astorino said he would not entertain selling the property.In conversation with a committee member after the news conference, WPCNR learned the property is valued at about $500 Million and might bring considerably more on the open market.



The landmark Playland Tower, Rye, New York on Sunday.


 



The Dragon Coaster



The Zombie Castle



The Playland Express


 

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Mayor, Councilmen, Police Commissioner Bag to Promote Shoprite Hunger Drive

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY By the WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. September 21, 2011:


Mayor Thomas Roach of White Plains, Council President Benjamin Boykin and Councilman John Martin helped bag groceries at the City Center Shoprite today to focus attention on National Hunger Month and promote Shoprite’s 6-state Partners In Caring promotion that has collected $27 Million since 1999 to aid hunger relief organizations in the six states the store chain is doing business.



Mayor Thomas Roach bagging groceries for customers today at Shoprite. The Mayor said he had never bagged groceries growing up, but had worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant. He attributed his expertise to his wife’s bagging instructions on personal supermarket trips. Roach said he and the other city officials were participating to draw attention to the Shoprite Hunger promotion which encourages patrons of their stores to make cash contributions at the cash registers.


Asked how it was going, Roach said the plastic bags did not stand up like paper bags,making positioning in the plastic bags of purchases more difficult.



White Plains Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong with Kemar of Stoprite.Chong said he had never personally bagged groceries but had been well-trained by his wife in the craft. Chong said the Shoprite drive was very successful and the nation needed to focus on the hunger problem in America.



Council President Benjamin Boykin also gave his wife credit  for his bagging expertise.


Jennifer Kline of Shoprite Corporate Communications told WPCNR’s Jimmy Olsen that in honor of National Hunger Action Month, Governors of New Jersey, New York,Connecticut, Pennyslvania,Delaware and Maryland declared today a “Shoprite Partners in Caring Day.” Monetary contributions were being accepted at cash registers that will be donated to community food banks.


Kline said 50 million Americans, including 17 million children suffer from food insecurity. ShopRite Partners in Caring is a year-round, community hunger-fighting charity to raise awareness and inspire action within their local communities through hunger-fighting initiatives. Since 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has raised $27 Million for 1,700 charities throughout the Northeast.


 

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Pocketing the Chips: FBI ACCUSES Full Tilt Poker OF OPERATING PONZI SCHEME.

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WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. September 21, 2011:


A motion was filed Tuesday amending the forfeiture and civil money laundering complaint in the matter of United States v. PokerStars et. al, announced Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.


The proposed amended complaint alleges that Full Tilt Poker and its board of directors, including Raymond Bitar, Howard Lederer, Christopher Ferguson, and Rafael Furst, defrauded players by misrepresenting that their funds on deposit in online gambling accounts were safe, secure and available for withdrawal at any time.


In reality,the motion alleges,  Full Tilt Poker did not maintain funds sufficient to repay all players, and in addition, the company used player funds to pay board members and other owners more than $440 million since April 2007. On April 15, 2011, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed the original complaint against Full Tilt and two other Internet poker companies and unsealed a criminal indictment charging 11 defendants, including Bitar, with bank fraud, illegal gambling, and money laundering offenses.


“As the proposed amended complaint describes in detail, Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara.


“As a result of our enforcement actions, this alleged self-dealing scheme came to light. Not only did the firm orchestrate a massive fraud against the U.S. banking system, as previously alleged, Full Tilt also cheated and abused its own players to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. As described, Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited with the company.”


As alleged in the proposed amended complaint, on several occasions in 2008 and 2009 through e-mails to players and postings on online poker message boards, Full Tilt Poker and its representatives assured players that their money was segregated, safe, and secure. For example, in response to inquiries, Full Tilt Poker sent e-mails to players in May 2008 assuring them that their funds were secure. One of those e-mails read, in part:


“To protect both our players and business from financial problems, all player account funds are segregated and held separately from our operating accounts. Unlike some companies in our industry, we completely understand and accept that your account money belongs to you, not Full Tilt Poker.”


As alleged in the proposed amended complaint, despite these repeated assurances to players, the company did not have enough funds to repay players. By March 31, 2011, Full Tilt Poker owed approximately $390 million to players around the world, including approximately $150 million to U.S. players. However, the company had only approximately $60 million in its bank accounts. Furthermore, as alleged in the proposed amended complaint, the company used player funds to pay its board of directors and other owners.


Between April 2007 and April 2011, Full Tilt Poker and its board distributed $443,860,529.89 to board members and owners. Bitar received approximately $41 million, Lederer received approximately $42 million, and Furst received approximately $11.7 million. Ferguson was allocated approximately $87,486,182.87 in distributions, and received at least $25 million, with the remaining balance characterized as “owed” to him. Much of the money that was distributed was transferred by the board members and owners to accounts in Switzerland and other overseas locations.


In addition to its failure to segregate funds and its constant stream of distributions to owners, the proposed amended complaint alleges that the company faced a growing shortfall in 2010 related to its inability to collect funds from U.S. players, a fact which it did not disclose to players.


Beginning in August 2010, Full Tilt Poker’s payment processing network in the United States was so disrupted that the company often could not withdraw money from U.S. players’ bank accounts in order to fund credits to their online gambling accounts. In order to maintain its false image of financial security, Full Tilt continued to credit player accounts without disclosing its inability to fund those credits.


Ultimately, the company credited approximately $130 million to players’ online gambling accounts that it never actually withdrew from their bank accounts. When players gambled with these phantom funds and lost to other players, a massive shortfall developed.


The proposed amended complaint alleges that this scheme continued even after the original complaint was filed and the criminal indictment unsealed in April 2011. Full Tilt Poker continued to accept foreign player funds, despite the fact that it had liabilities to players around the world for more than $300 million and held only a small fraction of that amount in its bank accounts.


As alleged in the proposed amended complaint, in early June 2011, Lederer reported to others at Full Tilt Poker that there was only approximately $6 million left, and therefore no realistic ability to repay its new depositors. Similarly, in an internal e-mail dated June 12, 2011, Bitar worried about a “run on the bank” by Full Tilt Poker customers, and admitted that “at this point we can’t even take a five million run.”


In addition to the forfeiture and civil money laundering penalties sought in the original complaint, the proposed amended complaint seeks the forfeiture of the dividends received by Bitar, Lederer, Ferguson, and Furst, as well as money laundering penalties against these individuals in the same amount.


U.S. Attorney Bharara praised the FBI for its outstanding leadership in the investigation, which he noted is ongoing.


The matters announced Tuesday are being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Forfeiture and Complex Frauds units. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Cohen Levin, Michael D. Lockard and Jason H. Cowley are in charge of the civil money laundering and forfeiture action, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arlo Devlin-Brown, Nicole Friedlander and Niketh Velamoor are in charge of the criminal case.


The allegations contained in the proposed amended complaint are merely accusations.










 

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WBT OPENS MY FAIR LADY–The All-Time Musical for the Entire Family Returns

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Piia Haas. September 20, 2011:


Westchester Broadway Theatre brings back perhaps the most popular musical of the 1950s, My Fair Lady, this week from September 21 to November 27, and a return run from December 28 to January 29. 



Broadway’s Greatest Love Story, based on George Bernard Shaw’s classic play Pygmalion returns. The story revolves around Eliza Doolittle,(Jennifer Babiak) a coarse little peddler of flowers in Covent Garden who agrees to take speech lessons from phonetician Henry Higgins (Tom Galantich) in order to fulfill her dream of working in a flower shop. The musical of their love story is the stuff dreams are made of. Photo, Courtesy WBT by John Vecchiolla


Henry Higgins bets his friend, Colonel Pickering, that he can pass the common girl off as a society lady. Eliza succeeds so well, however, that she outgrows her social station and even and manages to become an indispensable part of Higgins’ life. The
musical features an award-winning score, with hits such as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “Get Me to the Church on Time.”




Jennifer Babiak (Eliza Doolittle) Returns to Westchester Broadway Theatre
after appearing here as the spunky Emma Carew in Jekyll & Hyde. WPCNR praised her performance in J&H as a “steadfast haunting diamond-like voice of divine inspiration,” and “precise as a finely cut diamond.” 


Her previous credits include: Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof (Anya/ Chava, Shprintze, Bielke u/s and performed). National Tours: West Side Story (Maria), Evita (Mistress) and Grease (Sandy). Regional: Pirates of Penzance (Mabel), Green Gables (Diana),
and North Shore Music Theatre’s A Christmas Carol (Meg). Jennifer is a
Graduate of New York University’s Steinhardt School of Music and Performing
Arts Professions.


Broadway staple, Tom Galantich plays Henry Higgins. His credits include Boeing Boeing, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mamma Mia!, The Boys From Syracuse, City of Angels, Into The
Woods. Off-Broadway: Distracted (Roundabout), Ghosts and Biography (Pearl
Theatre). He has toured nationally with starring roles in White Christmas,
Company, and Dracula. Among his many regional credits are his most recent as
Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music at North Carolina Theatre and here
at WBT in City of Angels, 42nd Street and Jekyll & Hyde.


Tom was seen as recurring character Joe Chappell, on Law & Order. Other TV: Ed, Law & Order: CI, Chappelle’s Show, The Cosby Mysteries, All My Children, One Life To
Live, Another World. Film: Julie & Julia, Watching TV With The Red Chinese,
and The Chosen One. Tom is a veteran of numerous commercials and has sung at
Carnegie Hall in a salute to 100 years of Broadway.


The original 1956 production of My Fair Lady featured Rex Harrison as Henry
Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza.  The production helped define the modern
musical theater. 


MFL opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 15, 1956 and enjoyed a run of 2,717 performances, which lasted more than nine years. It won six Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for Rex Harrison. The national tour began on March 18, 1957 and ran for several years, and broke box-office records in city after city.


The 1964 film which won several Oscars, including Best Picture, starred Rex
Harrison, Stanley Holloway and Audrey Hepburn.

The WBT production, stars Jennifer Babiak as Eliza Doolittle, Tom Galantich
as Henry Higgins, and William McCauley as Colonel Pickering.  Bill E.
Dietrich will play Eliza’s father, Alfred P. Doolittle, Joe Chisholm will
play Freddy. Kathleen Huber takes on Mrs. Higgins,

The multi-talented ensemble features: Gabriel Beck, Brittany Bohn, Gina
Duci, Glenn Giron, Jordan Grubb, Jennifer Hatzes, Cort Larson, Robin
Lounsbury, Megan Marod, Karen Murphy, J.P. Qualters  Tara Sweeney, Joe
Torello, and Michael Warrell.

The Production is Directed by Charles Repole who had been at the helm for
several WBT productions including I Love you,You’re Perfect, Now Change and
Sugar. Choreography is by Michael Lichtefeld, Set Design is by Steven
Loftus, Costume Design by Gail Baldoni, Lighting Design is by Andrew Gmoser,
Sound Design by Jonathan Hatton. Properties are by Grumpy’s Props, Wigs/Hair
by Gerard Kelly, Production Stage Manager is Victor Lukas and the Assistant
Stage Manager is Ron Rogell.

William McCauley (Colonel Pickering) You may remember him as R.F. Simpson in
“Singin In The Rain” and Mr. Potter in “A Wonderful Life,” Bill returns for
his 10th show for WBT. Named LA Actor of the Week for “Autumn Canticle,” he
was also Scrooge in LA’s musical “Christmas Carol.” He replaced Jerry Orbach
in “Chicago,” playing Billy Flynn for three years. He has played Henry
Higgins, Harold Hill, Daddy Warbucks, and Dick Cheney. Broadway debut in
Zefirelli’s “Saturday Sunday Monday” with Sada Thompson and Eli Wallach. TV:
Tyrone in PBS’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” a year on “Loving,” “Law &
Order: CI,” and “30 Rock.” One of New York’s finest cabaret performers, he
was resident entertainer at the St. Regis Hotel for two years. 

Charles Repole (Director) City Center Encores! Series:  Dubarry Was a Lady
starring Faith Prince and Robert Morse and Call Me Madam starring Tyne Daly.
Broadway: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation
Benefit at Carnegie Hall starring Regis Philbin, Marvin Hamlisch, Judy
Collins, Anne Reinking and the NY Pops conducted by Skitch Henderson, the
Easter Bonnet Competition at the Palace Theatre and A Salute to Frank
Sinatra at Carnegie Hall.  He conceived and directed Dance! featuring the
works of the Alvin Ailey dance company,  the Martha Graham dance company,
the Cleveland Ballet, David Parsons and Stomp!;   Lyrics And Lyricists 25th
Year Celebration with Angela Lansbury, Rosie O’Donnell, Joel Grey, Beebe
Neuwirth, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Stephen Schwartz and Sheldon Harnick;
Folk Songs USA starring Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Art Garfunkel and Odetta,
and  Standing Ovations with Tony Randall, Carol Channing, Elaine Strich,
Nell Carter, Leslie Uggams and Donna McKecknie. George M! starring Joel
Grey, Zorba starring Anthony Quinn, Call Me Madam starring Leslie Uggams,
Annie starring Rue McClanahan, The Solid Gold Cadillac starring Charlotte
Rae. The San Antonio Art Festival’s La Pericole starring Angelina Reaux and
Joel Grey. Mr. Repole was nominated for Chicago’s prestigious Joseph
Jefferson Award for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, He has also
directed many productions for WBT including his first professional directing
job, They’re Playing Our Song , Anything Goes, Sugar and I Love You,You’re
Perfect, Now Change!

For Showtimes, go to www.BroadwayTheatreBlog.com, or call 914-592-2222.

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