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 CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. December 3, 2007: Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti reported that as of 11 A.M. City Firemen and Con Edison teams had pumped out half of the flood in the sub basement of city hall — discovered this morning at 8 A.M. by a member of the Legal Department, Dan Spencer, when he arrived for work at 8 AM and found no heat in the building. Nicoletti said that as of 11 A.M., approximately 4 feet of water remained in the sub-basement.

Water Spews Out of City Hall Subbasement 10:15 A.M. as Con Edison and City Crews Use a batter of pumps to pump out waters from a main break over the weekend.

Commissioner Nicoletti attributed the flooding to a burst city water pipe within city hall. He did not state a cause and did not have an estimate of the damage. The Commissioner said the boilers and electrical systems had been submerged in about 8 feet of water. Lights were on in city hall generated by emergency power supply.

Pumping Continues as of 11 A.M. WPCNR estimates approximately 40,000 gallons of water had flooded the sub-basement based on area.

Pumping Tubes extend into the electrical vault and boiler room.

Mayor Joseph Delfino on the scene said city hall would be closed down for the day, but telephone service had been transferred to the Department of Public Safety where city hall personnel would be availabl to take calls.

The Mayor said tonight’s Common Council Meeting would be conducted at the White Plains Public Library beginning at 7:30 P.M. Citizens to Be Heard would not be conducted tonight.

Commissioner of Public Works Nicoletti said he hoped to get city hall operational by Tuesday morning, but it depended on the damage to the boilers located in the sub basement and whatever damage had occurred to the building electrical vault containing the electrical panels, which was reported submerged.

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WPCNR THE HOMELESS NEWS. By John F. Bailey. November 28, 2007: Before a packed gathering of 26 homeless advocates, clergy, and concerned neighbors from North Broadway, Reverend Carter Via of the Presbyterian Church asked a reluctant and skeptical Common Council directly for an answer as to what he should tell the County Executive when asked if the Council was supportive of selected churches in downtown White Plains housing undomiciled persons not enrolled in the county Department of Social Services homeless program.

Reverend Carter Via, with the “Discussion” on the homeless about to break up, with no movement and the Council refusing to render a decision on the warming shelter in White Plains, and only agreeing to another meeting, challenged the council for a decision. He got one.

The council, put on the spot, managed a 4-2-1 tentative position in favor of a church run shelter with conditions.

The Council, every one of whom had expressed grave concerns about security, threats to neighborhoods, and legality, but admired the group of White Plains Clergy for taking the initiative, then in an unofficial consensus indicated they could support it by a 4-2-1 vote.

Benjamin Boykin, Rita Malmud (who was the strongest supporter), Mr. Roach and Mr. Power were for. The Mayor was neutral. Mr. Hockley was against it unless a poll of the neighborhood was taken to gain the neighborhood consent in which the designated church was located. Mr. Bernstein said police presence and neighborhood buying in to the idea was essential.

 The four councilpersons expressing positive attitudes, said they could tentatively support a church located warming shelter within the central downtown area, if it were temporary (the proposal is for a four month run rotated among 2 to 4 churches), if it were furnished with police presence, and well supervised by Grace Church Community Services, and complied with zoning and codes.

Via told WPCNR after the vote that was not a vote (as the Mayor said there would be no votes taken at the top of the meeting), he (Via) would seek a meeting with County Executive Andrew Spano tomorrow to confirm the commitment and the conditions under which the White Plains Common Council would seek approval. Asked by WPCNR when the shelter could become operational Paul Anderson Winchell of Grace Church Community Services said about a week or so.

However, there will be another meeting with the clergy and the council to report back on the Reverend Via’s meeting with the County Executive. Via promised Councilman Glen Hockley he would seek out a definitive answer as to whether the bus depot could be used as a shelter (located behind the train station), or possible other locations Hockley had suggested.  Rabbi Lester Bronstein who said that the churches had a right to run the shelters without city approval, but would rather have the city behind the issue.  Mr. Hockley chided Via and Bronstein for not getting county answers to his suggestions the shelter be housed at the abandoned Greyhound bus terminal, on executive park parking lots in tents.

Rabbi Lester Bronstein said the clergy and churches willing to host the Warming Shelter did not want to do it without city support, but were prepared to go it alone, since they were legally able to do so. The Council and the Mayor were going to check into that issue.

Via also said he would attempt to get an answer from the county as to why the airport drop in shelter was closed by the County in the first place.

Via said the leaders of four churches, two in the downtown, had secured church hierarchy approvals, but they also had to take a sense of the congregations as to whether the congregations wanted the churches to support a homeless drop in.

Paul Anderson Winchell  of Grace Church Community Services, eased most council fears by explaining the potential clients served would gather at Open Arms, and be bused to the shelter whatever church it was located at, at 10 PM then picked up and bused back to Open Arms at 6 AM for breakfast. He also said that Project Trust would attempt to work with the drop in clients to get them into the county system.

He confirmed when asked that a major reason for drop-in users refusing county services was the requirement that most of their social security checks had to be turned over to the county. He also said many were mentally ill and unable to function, which meant a lot of them got sanctioned out of the system after having entered it, repeating the process many times. He said the proportion of drop -ins who were sexual offenders and felons was greatly exaggerated.

Anderson-Winchell said it was hard to tell how many homeless there were sleeping over night in the streets and alleyways of White Plains. The Mayor said there appeared to be about 11, based on White Plains Police experiences, riding about with Project Trust personnel who attempt to find homeless persons each night and talk them in to the DSS services. Police house homeless they pick up at Police Headquarters, the Mayor said.

It appears that the homeless shelter (with cots) would not be up and running for at least two weeks — and possibly three — deep into December. Tonight’s temperature at 10:30 P.M. is 40 degrees.

The Crowd, including Television News Coverage from RNN and News 12 overflowed the Mayor’s Conference Room and the “Discussion” was held in the Common Council Chambers.

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. By John F. Bailey. November 28, 2007:  When Jack Batman heard the “Leading Man of the 90s” Robert Cuccioli’s  Lone Star Love  show playing in Seattle  was closing in September,  Mr. Cuccioli told the CitizeNetReporter the new Artistic Director of WPPAC contacted him to take the lead in  the White Plains Performing Arts Center debut musical production Man of La Mancha, which opens Thursday night. C uccioli did not hesitate. He took it and it was the beginning of the fulfillment of his “Impossible Dream.” It was a coup — for the theatre and the actor.

Robert Cuccioli has not only a role he has always wanted to play – but by sheer magnetism of his performance – has the opportunity to give the White Plains Performing Arts Center the cache, the professionalism, and charisma it needs.

The dashing leading man’s cross country move gives WPPAC  genuine star power in its lead show of the season. The massive set created by an Emmy-winning designer, the dream tenor role created by Cuccioli, the synergy of key, expensive talent has been assembled to put White Plains to the test.

Cuccioli came to stardom playing  Javert on Broadwy in Les Miserables in the early 90s, and followed that up  with his Tony-nominated  Jekyl lead role in Jekyll and Hyde in 1996, says he will be bringing his own feel to the role of Don Quixote.

Actors in Rehearsal Tuesday afternoon at White Plains Performing Arts Center. Two days to Opening Night.

Cuccioli told WPCNR the massive set is conducive to a more intimate Man of La Mancha experience than audiences are used to experiencing. He likes the chemistry with fellow leads  and promises the audiences who know the show will experience the inspiration of the famous show more powerfully than before  because of the all stops out, Broadway style of production.

Mr. Batman has spared no expense to give his star the production backup needed to win over the fickle and demanding White Plains audience who have Batman they wanted Broadway musicals. Well this Man of La Mancha is a gamble, that Mr. Batman appears to be giving every chance.

Man of La Mancha 2007 White Plains style is a distinct departure from previous WPPAC productions.

Mr.  Batman is hoping this Broadway style production is the theater White Plains has been missing and has not seen previously at the WPPAC. 

He commissioned Michael Hotopp, winner of 5 Emmies for set design, who has created a set of towering blue ramparts  of grays and blues representing the Spanish Inquistion prison where the show takes place.  

He has hired Carrie Robbins as Costume Designer who has designed the wardrobe for 33 Broadway Shows, and the lighting which was being rehearsed Tuesday afternoon with the cast in costume was created by Tom Weaver, who just “lit” the production of Frankenstein (not to be confused with Young Frankenstein.

The brief sequence WPCNR saw in run-through Tuesday afternoon created atmosphere. Even without mikes,the acoustics of the WPPAC were crisp and electric. The number I heard briefly a cappella to get the lighting shifts right was  entertaining, the cast together and  if a mere snip of the show grabbed my interest.

Mr. Batman may have a very appealing first gambit towards winning back White Plains and Westchester theatre aficionados .

 The towering ramparts of the set evoke the sixteenth century, the costumes were intricate, realistic. The stage foreboding and soaring simultaneously.  Definitely not the sets and bare bones productions WPPAC has been known for in the past.  Man of La Mancha, WPPAC reckons is going to overwhelm the audience. It will be big, up close and personal, classy and Broadway.

The show is 63% sold out as of this time, which is a feat in and of itself. It runs through December 19.

Harris noted that  the theatre is being programmed to appeal to The Ritz Carlton residences across the street. He said that many of the new residents of the Ritz-Carlton residences had purchased season subscriptions for the productions coming up, Ragtime, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Ain’t Misbehavin.

 Man of La Mancha is a quarter of a million dollar gamble. To break even it has to sell out the show.

Mr. Cuccioli expressed regret this was such a short run, and said he would be developing the part with each performance as he had never done the role before.  Asked how he saw his career going at this stage of his life –whether he would continue to perform or take on more of a producing or directing role, he said he loved to direct, but liked the whole of the theater experience, performing, acting, directing and that he was not concentrating on heading in any one direction.

Mr. Cuccioli, though has perhaps has never played a role with more consequence for the venue in which he is playing than the one he creates personally for the first time tomorrow night.

Man of La Mancha would appear to have everything going for it. The mannerisms of the technicians observing the run-through, the cast’s intricacy and concentration  onstage, and the concern of the executives’ hopes were palpable.  There was electricity in the air.

But that’s the glamour and the glitz of show business. You never know. You give it all to the show and maybe, just maybe you click.

For Man of La Mancha is not only a drama on stage of the significance of hope, its very production in the little theatre in the City Center  is a drama of hope for the theatre born again.

Will Jack Batman’s Man of La Mancha be the smash production WPPAC needs to bring back the public?

Will Robert Cuccioli be the catalyst for a WPPAC renaissance?

It’s the drama within a drama.

See for yourself, for more information go to www.wppac.com.

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE NIGHT. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. November 27, 2007: It was a night for trench coats, snapbrim fedoras, black coffee and cigarettes in the night, and stakeouts in White Plains as a thick Londonesque fog silently shrouded the city, a metaphor for the future. Education House was cloaked in tendrils of mist, looking like Baskerville Hall.

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    WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. November 26, 2007:    County Executive Andy Spano said that a cross burning incident that took place on Thanksgiving Eve should bring the community together to abhor such acts, and not be used as an opportunity to escalate bigotry.

        A Cortlandt family found a cross burning on their lawn Wednesday night and were the victims of a second act of vandalism yesterday. Although Westchester County Police share police jurisdiction in the town, the incident is being investigated as a hate crime by State Police.

      “In this season where peace is the watchword, it is particularly disheartening to see this type of incident,’’ said Spano. “Westchester is known across the nation as a diverse community where tolerance is placed above all else, and I was happy to see so many people in the community come forward to support this family. I have one word for those who would use this incident to stir up more anger: Don’t.’’

            Spano said that he has asked his African-American community liaison to reach out to the family to offer his support.

          “Bigotry has no place in Westchester,’’ he said. “Our diversity is our greatest strength.’’