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“TODAY IS SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET AND ELECTIONS DAY. POLLING PLACES IN WHITE PLAINS OPEN AT NOON
JOHN BAILEY THE CITIZENETREPORTER, BROADCASTS EVERY TUESDAY AT 7:50 WITH THE NICEST TWO PEOPLE ON THE RADIO, DENNIS AND TONNY ON WVOX 1460 AM. HE HAS BEEN DELIVERING THESE REPORTS FOR SIX YEARS. THIS IS A TRANSCRIPT OF TODAY’S BROADCAST.
“THE 2021-22 WHITE PLAINS SCHOOLS BUDGET INCREASES PROPERTY TAXES 1.3% AND REDUCES SPENDING $3.62 MILLION OR 1.5% WITH NO CUTS TO ANY EXISTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. THE BUDGET IS $229.7 MILLION OR $31.892 PER STUDENT.
4 PERSONS ARE RUNNING FOR 3 BOARD OF EDUCATION SEATS: JAMES HRICAY, RAINA KADAVIL, CAYNE LETIZIA, AND ROSE LOVITCH.
THE ELECTION IS HIGHLIGHTED BY MS. KADIVIL’S CANDIDACY. A GRADUATE OF THE WHITE PLAINS SCHOOLS AND WHITE PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL, B.A. GRADUATE OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY, NOW STUDYING FOR HER MBA AT JOHNS HOPKINS WHILE EMPLOYED AS A MARKETING ANALYST AT MASTERCARD’s DATA AND SERVICES SEGMENT.
SHE IS RUNNING BECAUSE SHE FEELS SHE IS MOST REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR SCHOOLS AND WILL BRING A NEW AND MUCH NEEDED PERSPECTIVE TO THE BOARD, AND A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE PEOPLE IT SERVES OUR STUDENTS WITH THE PERSPECTIVE OF HER OWN RECENT EXPERIENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS SHE HAS WITH FAMILIES STILL GOING THROUGH THE WHITE PLAINS SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE TEACHERS THAT SHAPE OUR CLASSROOMS
WHITE PLAINS WILL HOLD A MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY THIS YEAR TO HONOR THE NATIONS WAR DEAD AND THE LOSS OF SO MANY LIVES VICTIMS OF THE CORONA VIRUS. IT WILL BE HELD AT DEFINO PARK AT 11 AM MAY 31 LARGE ENOUGH TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE. IF RAIN, THE CEREMONY WILL MOVE INTO EBERSOLE RINK.
MAYOR ROACH SAID, “MEMORIAL DAY REMAINS AS RELEVANT TODAY AS WHEN IT WAS FIRST ENACTED IN MEMORY OF THE SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR. GREAT SACRIFICES ARE MADE EVERY DAY BY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE U.S. ARMED SERVICES. THEIR SACRIFICES REMIND US ANEW TO BE GRATEFUL FOR ALL THAT WE HAVE AS A COMMUNITY AND A COUNTRY.”
DURING THE PAST YEAR OF TREMENDOUS UPHEAVAL AND LOSS, WE ALSO REMEMBER THE 12,000 RECORDED DEATHS OF VETERANS FROM COVID-19.
DECEASED HONOREES THIS YEAR ARE MALCOLM BAEHR AND JACK COLLINS. BOTH SERVED ON THE MAYOR’S VETERANS COMMITTEE FOR MANY YEARS. THEY WERE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THEIR TIME SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES AND DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO HONORING ALL VETERANS RESPECTFULLY IN OUR COMMUNITY.
MAYOR ROACH SAID IN HIS WEEKLY COVID TELEPHONE CALL TO RESIDENTS THAT NEXT MONDAY WOULD BE HIS LAST COVID CALL. HE SAID THERE ARE ABOUT 48 ACTIVE CASES WHITE PLAINS NY USA, DOWN 32 FROM A WEEK AGO. OVER THE LAST 7 DAYS, WP IS AVERAGING 2.7 NEW CASES PER DAY. CASES ARE CONTINUING TO DECLINE IN OUR CITY AND IN NEW YORK STATE AS A WHOLE. THE CURRENT POSITIVITY RATE IN OUR REGION IS LESS THAN 1%.
THE ENTIRE MID-HUDSON REGION IS ALL-IN ON GETTING VACCINATED, DENNIS. WESTCHESTER, DUTCHESS ORANGE, PUTNAM, ROCKLAND, SULLIVAN AND ULTER COUNTIES ARE VACCINATING AT THE RATE OF 33,000 SECOND VACCINATIONS A WEEK AND WE A REGION SHOULD BE FULLY VACCINATED BY JUNE 20. WITH ONLY CHILDREN UNDER 12 NOT CLEARED FOR VACCINATIONS YET.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY ON TRACK FOR “FULL VACINATION” BY SAME DATE.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY CONTINUED REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS TESTING POSITIVE FOR THE CORONAVIRUS AND IS ON PACE TO BE FULLY VACCINATED BY THE SAME DATE IF NOT SOONER.
ON THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY MAY 13, 14, AND 15, 161 PERSONS TESTED POSITIVE. THE PERCENTAGE OF POSITIVE CASES WAS LESS THAN 1% EACH DAY.
IN CONTRAST TO THE NUMBER OF POSITIVES PER DAY ON APRIL 1, WHEN THE COUNTY WAS AVERAGING 400 NEW INFECTIONS A DAY, THE COUNTY HAS COME A LONG WAY REDUCING INFECTIONS FROM THE HIGHS OF 400 A DAY TO THE AVERAGE OF 50 TO 60 A DAY WITH A LOW OF 33 ON SUNDAY.
THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN THE LAST 6 WEEKS IS VACCINATIONS ROLLING OUT AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ROLLING BACK THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES, REDUCING NEW CASES PER DAY BY 87%.
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE RUNNING ABOUT 5.8% OF THOSE TESTING POSITIVE THE LAST THREE WEEKS—63 IN THE HOSPITAL AS OF YESTERDAY. THE HOSPITALIZATION RATE OF THE NUMBER OF POSITIVES THE LAST THREE WEEKS HAS GONE UP IN TWO DAYS AND IS RUNNING AT 5.8% AS OPPOSED TO 3% TO 3.5% AND THIS MAY BE A CONCERN BUT I HAVE ASKED THE COUNTY FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THIS IF THERE IS ANY.
SO LONG UNTIL NEXT WEEK, DENNIS AND TONNY”