SEPT 18– NO WESTCHESTER DISTRICT ATTORNEY FORUM. SUSAN CACACE DECLINES TO PARTICIPATE

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The League of Women Voters of Westchester announces that a proposed Candidates Forum for Westchester District Attorney will not be held.

Democratic Candidate Susan Cacace has declined the League’s invitation to participate in the proposed October 24, 2024 forum at the White Plains Public Library. However, Republican candidate, John Sarcone, has accepted the candidates forum invitation.

A candidates meeting with only one candidate present is an open or empty chair meeting, and is not permitted under League rules and its policy of nonpartisanship. The League regrets that this important educational event for voters has to be cancelled.

“This is a lost opportunity for the public to hear directly from candidates in person and to address their own questions to them,” stated Westchester County League President Kathy Meany. “We strive to run forums in a respectful, non-partisan environment that encourages civil discourse and allows candidates to communicate with the people they are seeking to represent. It is a disappointment that there will be no such opportunity for voters residing in Westchester County.

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SEPT 17 –GOVERNOR HOCHUL: MORE KID PROTECTIONS FROM INTERNET INFLUENCES ON THE WAY

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STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL AND ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES 

Following the news today that Instagram will introduce new safety features for minors on its platform, Governor Hochul and Attorney General James jointly released the following statement:

 

“Our kids are facing a mental health crisis fueled by addictive social media feeds – and the changes announced today by Instagram are proof that New York’s nation-leading laws are already making a powerful impact to protect kids online.

 

“In June, we enacted the SAFE for Kids Act – our first-in-the-nation law to restrict addictive feeds and stop late-night notifications for minors in New York. Just three months later, Instagram said it will shut down late-night notifications for all minors nationwide, along with creating more supervision tools for parents. By taking strong and decisive action, New York has helped ensure that millions of kids across the nation will have greater protections.

 

“Let’s be clear – our fight to safeguard kids online is far from over, and Instagram’s announcement is just one step in the right direction. The SAFE for Kids Act will also combat addictive algorithms and our Child Data Protection Act will restrict online sites from collecting and selling our kids’ data. Every social media platform – including Instagram – will need to play by these rules in New York, just as they should across the nation. We’ll never stop fighting to protect our kids – and we look forward to continuing this vital work.”

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SEPT 17–White Plains Library Announces New Director.

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WPCNR MARTINE AVENUE JOURNAL. From the White Plains Public Library. September 17, 2024:

The White Plains Library announced today that Laura Eckley has accepted the position of Director of the White Plains Public Library effective October 28.

Ms. Eckley comes to White Plains from Larchmont Public Library where she has served as Director since 2012.  While there, she supervised a major renovation of the Library.  Prior to that, she was the Director of the Bronxville Public Library (2009-2012) and Head of Children’s Services there (2003-2009).
She received her MLIS from the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University in 1999 and a certificate from the Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Executive Program on The Future of Library Design in 2014.
She holds professional memberships in the American Library Association, New York Library Association, Westchester Library Association and the Westchester County Public Library Director Association, She was honored with the New York Times Librarian Award in 2004.
Ms. Eckley resides in Bronxville, New York and in her spare time enjoys crossword puzzles, needlepoint and of course, reading.  Join me us in welcoming her to the White Plains Public Library.
Ms. Eckley follows Brian Kenny who retired this summer.
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NEW! THE MASTER OF CIDER INTRODUCES THE HARD CIDER TOUR

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THE SAME GREAT THOMPSON CIDERS YOU LOVE ARE BACK AND A NEW DIFFERENT BOLDER CIDER EXPERIENCE DEBUTS

WPCNR GETS AROUND. By John F. Bailey. September 14, 2024:

It’s Autumn in New York Cider Time in Westchester County with the greatest apples in the world

The Cider Master of Westchester County, Geofrey Thompson creator of the famous Thompson’s   Cider Mill  and orchard in 1976  opens today  Saturday and tomorrow Sunday, 10 TO 5 at the 334 Binn Road off Route 134. My son and I have been going there since 1976.

The Johnny Appleseed of Westchester County, Mr. Thompson’s cider is known throughout the county and the Northeast, Fresh-pressed by Mr. Thompson personally every weekend and you can pick it up today at the old cider place 135 Binn Road

After this weekend the ciders will be at the new Tasting Room 1311 Kitchawan Road, off Route 134.

 

This fall, The Professor of Cider is introducing his unique one-of-a-kind local apple creations of  historic flavored  ciders of the past to appeal to wine enthusiasts, beer aficionados and persons looking for the taste of cider with his famous traditional ciders at the local Cider Site  giving adults another year-round way to enjoy cider Americans drank in the late 1800s and first 20 years of the 20th Century.

HARD CIDER TOUR AT THE RIVERMARKET, TARRYTOWN THURSDAY.

In what his leading public relations and marketing business, the  renowned Thompson & Bender firm, would call a soft opening  Mr. Thompson and Dan O’Brien of Yorktown  and Liz Bracken-Thompson have been introducing the new cider kids on the block: his hard cider creations.

INTRODUCING THE NEW HARD CIDER CHORUSLINE AT RIVERFRONT.

I ran into this Hard Cider Tour at Sam’s of Gedney Way Bar Wednesday and then Mr. Cider invited me to Rivermarket in Tarrytown to  try the new “HARD CIDER LINE”.

Brenda Starr tastes the Antique Apple Rose’

Hard cider is a different cider experience – it’s hard,uses westchester apples, tastes dry and semi-dry  catering to  wine enthusiasts deliciously mellow and refreshing  the autumn drink of the past you can enjoy all year responsibly because it has a more refreshing taste than wines in this reporter’s opinion, a smooth cidery finish, (if cider can have a finish), without the sweetness of the exuberant traditional autumn, non-alcoholic ciders which are creatively pressed the old-fashion way  weekly at the traditional Thompson’s Cider Mill presses on 335 Binn Road.

The  Hard cider line are ready now after 7 years of development in the cider labs and traditional presses at the Thompson Cider Mill. Mr. Thompson (right) and Dan O’Brien (left), who keeps records of the apples and blends and  combination results of each blend of apples used in each “ciderage” (my word), report the Hard Ciders let you experience the refreshing hard cider of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the ciders that built the railroads, towns cities. Hard Cider was the working man’s refresher.

The alcohol content is 6.8% and are gluten-free. They come in  750 ml. bottles with screw off, screw-back in tight caps. Apple Rose’, Semi Dry and Dry Hard Ciders also come in handy convenient 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles and in 5 gallon kegs.

Starting next week the ciders, traditional sweet and unique you remember and love  welcome the new Thompson Hard Cider line to the Cider Stage. Here are the flavors

The mellow new hard ciders  may be tasted  10 to 5 Saturdays and Sundays at the new Thompson’s Cider Mill  at Sundial Farm 1311 Kitchawan Road (Route 134). The phone number is 914-271-2254.

 

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WHITE PLAINS WEEK TONIGHT 7:00 PM THE SEPTEMBER 13 REPORT. FIOS CH 45. OPTIMUM CH 76 OR WWW.WPCOMMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

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THE 9-11 REMEMBRANCE

 

BENJAMIN BOYKIN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF NEW YORK ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES

 

THE DEBATE

LAWLER SKIPS DISTRICT 17 CONGRESSIONAL FORM

COLD SPRING SHUTS TOWN HALL FOR 2 WEEKS BECAUSE OF COVID

WESTCHESTER NEW COVID CASES DECLINE FOURTH STRAIGHT WEEK. 

COLD SPRING NY SHUTS DOWN FOR 2 WEEKS

SUPERINTENDENT OF WHITE PLAINS SCHOOLS ON NEW RULES OF BEHAVIOR THIS YEAR

JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS

ONCE A WEEK EVERY WEEK

ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK FOR 23 YEARS

 

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SEPT 11—A MORNING TO REMEMBER

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WPCNR LAKE STREET WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA. By John F. Bailey UPDATED SEPTEMBER 21, 2024:

It was a beautiful morning today.

Like the morning 23 years ago when events made this day, September 11, a day of infamy like Pearl Harbor changed the world and this country forever.

It is the day when the city holds the Community Gathering of Remembrance  of 9/11 in Liberty Park.

No one needs pictures to remember that day or needs to watch television replays.

Those who saw the World Trade Center towers fall into rubble like my wife, and I who could not watch the television reports, but listened to the radio reports of the dying of  thousands on the site and haunting lives of thousands more since that day, remember it every day

In White Plains New York  USA , we lost 6 of those thousands  of innocent victims

 

They are because they will always be our citizens, Sharon Balkcom, Marisa Dinardo, Hemanth Kumar Putter, Joe Riverso, Gregory Rodriguez and Linda Sheehan immortalized in this memorial where wreaths were placed by Mayor Thomas Roach and the Common Couuncil as they do every year this day.

Christine Mann, Cellist began the sensitive prelude music with melancholy mellow notes of sensitive quietly comforting strains across the little glen by the beautiful lake,  one of the melodies was Yesterday

Ms Mann’s artistry created a just right atmosphere of loss, strength and courage to go on that is the legacy of 9/11

 

Phylisha Villanueva, Poet Laureate of Westchester County read a masterpiece of a narrative poem written about that morning 23 years ago that moved the gathering by her striking word pictures of emotions and anguish and message

She began reciting,  that beautiful still morning like today’s  “A day I will never forget,” images sharply depicting the plane hitting the 24th floor and her father getting out then having to go back the next day.

Images and feelings of that day were movingly created: Workers in the building who stayed behind, throwing themselves out of the building “ twisting and turning, looking like Superman,” and “ a couple holding hands” as  they leapt together. Workmen going back every day for three years, and ending with no truer legacy of 9/11, that we “are made stronger than strong,” the last words of this epic: “Be Brave. Be Brave Be Brave”

Ms. Villanueva  told Wayne Bass White Plains Director of Recreation and Parks details of that day involving her father:

“Thank you for sharing this article (from WPNCR)  with me. What a great article! I am so happy to have been a part of  The Ceremony.
I did want to mention My father is a construction worker who was working nearby that day. 
When all his co-workers packed up and drove off, my father stayed behind. 
Ending up standing next to a woman saying/praying her father will make it out.

Mayor Thomas Roach in his Welcome & Reflections observed that today  was the nicest day of the summer, cool an beautiful as the day of 9-11. Mayor got right to the point: “Seeing the horror, I thought it is  a call to make things better, and what will we do to make things better for the world and  a little bit better for other people.” The Mayor also saluted the police and fire personnel attending the Rembrance since ”they serve to make things better for people every day.”

I felt that this was one of the most evocative of the positive spirit of remembrance of this sad day as I have seen.

The ceremony is availablee to view on rebroadcast on www.wpcommunitymedia.org. and on Channel 76 optimum and Channel 45 FIOS

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