CAROLINA COBRAS LOCKER ROOM AT COUNTY CENTER BREACHED AT HALFTIME. $3,000 & RING STOLEN. NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE CONFIRMS. GAME HALTED AT HALFTIME AS PLAYERS WALK OFF. Another Theft Earlier this month.
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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. Special to the CitizeNetReporter. July 22, 2019 UPDATED 5:30 PM EDT:
At the Westchester County Center, Sunday night July 21st the New York Streets last home game for the season stalled at halftime with the playoff-bound Carolina Cobras on top 46-0.
Late Monday afternoon, Kieran O’Leary of the Westchester County Police furnished this report to WPCNR:
“Here’s what I have on the county center incidents:
Last night, at half time of the arena football game between the New York Streets and the Carolina Cobras, the visiting team reported that someone had entered their locker room and had stolen cash and a ring from multiple lockers. (The game started at 7 p.m. I am not exactly sure when half time was).
In total, about $3,000 in cash was reported stolen from various members of the visiting team.
I do not have a value on the ring that was stolen from one of the players.
The second half of the game was not played. You would need to ask representatives of the teams whether that was the result of this incident. That’s more of a football matter, not a police matter.
2nd Incident
A similar theft occurred during a New York Streets game on July 5 at the County Center. In that incident, a member of the Streets dance team reported that someone had stolen $1,000 in cash from her bag. That bag was left unattended in a changing room (not a locker room, no lockers in there) used by the dance team. The theft was not reported until July 7.
Both of these larcenies are under investigation by Westchester County Police. There is a person of interest in this investigation that detectives are looking to speak with.
There are a few media reports out there referring to the incidents as a robbery or robberies. Just to clarify, LARCENY is the crime(s) committed here.
Security in and around the locker rooms is the responsibility of the arena football league under the contact it has with the Parks Department.”
The third quarter never started as individual players from both teams wandered back and forth from the turf and into the hallway leading to the clubhouses. After an extended time period of this agitation and movement, all players took off their helmets and along with coaching staff and left the gridiron.
This morning through a spokesperson the National Arena League issued the following statement.
During Sunday night’s Carolina Cobras vs New York Streets National Arena League game, the Cobras’ locker room was accessed and players and coaches personal items were removed without permission. Because of this, the game was halted at halftime.
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Westchester County Police are working with the Streets, the Cobras and the league by reviewing security footage of the area.
New York started Quarterback Cody Williams (Assumption College). Williams is now the third player to be switched into this key position this year. Last week in Columbus, GA against the Lions, Williams was sent in for David Legree (Syracuse/Hampton). Against the fierce Carolina defense William was sacked twice but had five completed passes for 42 yards. His top target was Rob Jones (Delaware) who had two catches for 28 yards.
Carolina quarterback Charles McCullum (Stillman College) was 10 for 15, 151 passing yards with three TDs.
Streets defensive backs EJ Frain (Simon Fraser University) and Anthony Johnson accounted for 7 tackles against the Cobra scoring machine.
CENSUS HEARINGS THURSDAY IN WHITE PLAINS
The NYS Complete Count Commission will hold a public hearing on plans for the upcoming 2020 Census on Thursday, July 25 in White Plains:
Thursday, July 25, 2019, 6 p.m.
NYPA Headquarters
Jaguar Room
123 Main Street
White Plains, NY
The hearing is open to the public and media.
Public testimony will be heard during the latter part of the hearing on a first-come, first-served basis. Each public speaker’s comments will be limited to three (3) minutes.
As a convenience, the Commission is permitting individuals wishing to testify to pre-register for a single three-minute speaking slot at the event. Members of the public wishing to testify at the July 25 census hearing may pre-register to speak via online registration. The pre-registration period for the White Plains event ends at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 24. Depending on the number of pre-registration slots taken, additional three-minute speaking slots may be available at the event on a first-come, first-served basis.
Written testimony may be submitted to Commissioners or staff at the events or emailed to hearing@labor.ny.gov.
The Complete Count Commission is tasked with building upon the sweeping efforts already underway to prepare for next year’s federal Census. With these meetings, the Commission is undertaking a multi-year, collaborative strategy involving all state agencies, local and county governments, non-profits and local stakeholders across the state.
For more information about the Complete Count Commission and New York’s efforts to ensure a full count in 2020, please visit www.ny.gov/census2020.
WHITE PLAINS WEEK THE JULY 19 PROGRAM at 7 on FIOS CH45, CABLEVISION CH.76 AND ON THE INTERNET AT WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG, YOUTUBE AND WHITE PLAINS WEEK DOT COM
Link to wpweek 7-19 on youtube… https://youtu.be/TCB7-ShgKu4whiteplainsweek.com
LINK-– http://www.whiteplainsweek.com/
ON
(WPTV PHOTOS BY NOE DeFranc)
COME ON IN AND PULL UP A CHAIR
THE ALL STAR BREAK SHOW: WPTV’S “BULL ALLEN” INTERVIEWS JOHN VORPERIAN OF “BEYOND THE GAME” ANYTIME AT WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG
INTERVIEWED BY “VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK” LEGEND, BULL ALLEN ON THE STATE OF BASEBALL AT THE ALL-STAR BREAK
Governor Inks Largest Wind Project in History
| WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Governor Andrew M. Cuomo July 18, 2019: Today was truly a monumental day for our state and the nation. I was proud to be joined by former Vice President Al Gore (shaking hands with me above) to announce the largest offshore wind agreement by a state in U.S. history, and to sign the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Offshore wind is critical to our plan to transition to clean energy, and today, New York selected two offshore projects totaling 1,700 megawatts. That’s enough energy to power over 1 million homes. These projects won’t just help the climate — they will support more than 1,600 jobs and create $3.2 billion in economic activity. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act signed today is the most aggressive climate legislation in the country. It requires an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and puts our state on the road to economy-wide carbon neutrality. The environment and climate change are the most critically important policy priorities we face. They literally will determine the future. To deny climate change is to deny reality. The American chorus demanding acknowledgment of the climate crisis is now deafening and we are overpowering the forces that are vested in the status quo. I am proud that today, New York set an example for the world to follow. |
County Bans Non biodegradable food containers in Westchester
WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Chairman of the Board of Legislators, Benjamin Boykin,District 5 July 18, 2019:
Americans throw out billions of tons of EPS coffee cups and other food containers every year.
This material doesn’t biodegrade, so it clogs landfills for decades or more. Once it is used for food, it is difficult to recycle economically. And when it breaks up into smaller pieces, it drifts off into our waterways, where it’s often eaten by marine life mistaking it for food.
Our new law eliminates the sale or use of EPS for takeout food containers and utensils by vendors and restaurants, or sold in stores.
The measure also prohibits the sale of loose-fill EPS packing foam in Westchester. Prepackaged food that arrives sealed in EPS package, packaging for raw eggs, and butcher case packaging are exempted.
With this common-sense, bi-partisan legislation, Westchester will join its neighbors in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and in New York City, in acting to reduce this troubling source of pollution.
As elected officials, environmental protections are one of the most important things we can do for current and future generations, and I’m proud that this measure to reduce polystyrene waste in our environment is part of this Board’s legacy.
Click on the following link for the text of the bill: http://bit.ly/2JWNe4T
Distributing Sales tax Windfall by Population Instead of Need Delivers Windfalls to Larger Towns. Shared but Unequal.
WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. July 17, 2019:
As reported on WPTV’s White Plains Week (www.whiteplainsweek.com), the announcement of the sharing of the 1% sales tax increase with towns was announced with great largesse by Westchester County to a gathering of county town and municipality leaders and school district leaders two weeks ago.
However, basing distribution on size of town creates an imbalance. Presently, unless the county changes its mind, 39 towns and municipalities will receive unequal shares of the windfall.
If 39 towns received an equal share over the next two years 2019 and 2020, of the county estimate of $$43,132,000, each town and municipality would receive $1,105,948. The combination of municipality share and school district share creates a cascade of cash the larger the town creating two-years of relief to the towns paying the new county sales tax rate.
If 37 School Districts received an equal share of the county estimated share of sales taxes earmarked for school districts, $21,566,000, each school district would receive $582,864 in sales tax revenues.
However, county decided to distribute by population, which finds, in this reporter’s opinion, considerably more money going to towns and municipalities that are some of the wealthiest towns in the county. In the school districts, the mix is not so drastically different.
Here’s how population as the determinator of the distribution works out by population for the towns and cities:
Here’s how population as the evaluator of the distribution works for school districts.
BITCOIN INVESTMENT PLATFORM OPERATOR SENTENCED FOR SECURITIES FRAUD, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. July 16, 1019:
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JON E. MONTROLL, a/k/a “Ukyo,” was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman to 14 months in prison.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Jon Montroll lied to his investors and, after his lies caught the attention of the SEC, lied to them, too. The sentence he received serves as a reminder that this Office will not overlook those who violate their obligation to be honest with investors and the regulators working to protect them.”
According to the Information, the allegations in the Complaint, and statements made during the proceedings in Manhattan federal court:
JON E. MONTROLL operated two online bitcoin services: WeExchange Australia, Pty. Ltd. (“WeExchange”) and BitFunder.com (“BitFunder”). WeExchange functioned as a bitcoin depository and currency exchange service. BitFunder facilitated the purchase and trading of virtual shares of business entities that listed their virtual shares on the BitFunder platform.
Between the launch of Bitfunder, in or about December 2012, and at least in or about July 2013, MONTROLL converted a portion of WeExchange users’ bitcoins to his personal use without the users’ knowledge or consent. For example, MONTROLL exchanged numerous bitcoins taken from WeExchange into United States dollars, then spent those funds on personal expenses, such as travel and groceries.
Beginning on or about July 18, 2013, MONTROLL promoted a security referred to as “Ukyo.Loan.” As described by MONTROLL in a public post about Ukyo.Loan, MONTROLL encouraged investors to “think of [Ukyo.Loan] as a sort of round-about investment” in BitFunder and WeExchange and, at the same time, described Ukyo.Loan as “a personal loan” and “for private investment purposes.” MONTROLL further promised to pay purchasers of Ukyo.Loan daily interest on their investment and promised shares could be “redeemed at face value anytime upon request.”
During the summer of 2013, one or more individuals (the “Hackers”) exploited a weakness in the BitFunder programming code to cause BitFunder to credit the Hackers with profits they did not, in fact, earn (the “Exploit”). As a result, the Hackers were able to wrongfully withdraw from WeExchange approximately 6,000 bitcoins, with the majority of those coins being wrongfully withdrawn between July 28, 2013, and July 31, 2013. As a result of the Exploit, BitFunder and WeExchange lacked the bitcoins necessary to cover what MONTROLL owed to users.
Notwithstanding the scope of the Exploit, MONTROLL failed to disclose the Exploit to users of BitFunder and WeExchange, or investors in Ukyo.Loan. Instead, MONTROLL continued to promote and sell Ukyo.Loan to customers and, on at least one occasion, falsely represented to customers that BitFunder was commercially successful. As a result of his omissions and misrepresentations, MONTROLL raised approximately 978 bitcoins through Ukyo.Loan after his discovery of the Exploit.
The SEC’s New York Regional Office began an investigation into BitFunder and the Exploit. During the course of the investigation, MONTROLL provided the SEC with a falsified screenshot purportedly documenting, among other things, the total number of bitcoins available to BitFunder users in the WeExchange Wallet as of October 13, 2013. Additionally, during sworn investigative testimony on both November 14, 2013, and October 6, 2015, MONTROLL provided materially false and misleading answers to certain questions about, among other things, the timing of MONTROLL’s discovery of the Exploit.
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In addition to a prison sentence, Judge Berman ordered MONTROLL, 38, of Saginaw, Texas, to serve three years of supervised release and to pay forfeiture in the amount of $167,480.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, which previously filed civil charges against MONTROLL in a separate action.
The prosecution of this case is being overseen by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Thomas is in charge of the case.
NY EDUCATION COMMISSIONER MARYELLEN ELIA RESIGNS ABRUPTLY.
WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From WRVO RADIO. July 16, 2019:
New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia abruptly resigned Monday, taking members of the state Board of Regents by surprise. She said she will take a new job at the end of August at an unnamed national firm according to WRVO Radio, Albany.
Elia, who is the first female commissioner in the history of the State Education Department, said she decided now is the right time to leave the post, and has agreed to accept a job with a national firm that works to turn around struggling public schools.
To read the WRVO report go to this link:
https://www.wrvo.org/post/state-education-commissioner-unexpectedly-resigns