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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Home About Services Contact    Want to keep getting updates from my office? Subscribe   Dear neighbor, I hope you had a great May and are enjoying the warmer weather as summer begins. My team and I have continued assisting our neighbors, advocating for the district in Congress, and spending time in our community. This month I was proud to celebrate the $1.6 million in community project funding I secured for the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester and their YouthHeal Initiative. The funding will be used to pilot a mental  health and educational support program for 150 at-risk 18 to 24-year-olds in Mount Vernon. They will provide behavioral health support, vocational and educational support, and training on trauma-informed behavioral healthcare. I am so proud of the work the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester carries out and am grateful I can support their essential work on the federal level. I additionally had the opportunity to visit Safe Place 4 Our Girls, a project created through the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau with $999,000 in federal funding I brought in last year. The program provides support and development activities for girls between the ages of 10 and 21 to promote healthy social, mental, academic, and physical well-being. It was an honor to meet so many of the young women who have benefitted from the program so far, and I’m excited to see it continue to expand and serve as a positive force in Mount Vernon. As we look ahead to the next year, I announced $36.6 million in funding requests for community projects across the district. This included safety improvements for Mamaroneck and Tarrytown, environmental infrastructure for Yonkers and Hastings-on-Hudson, and affordable housing improvements in New Rochelle along with 10 other projects. You can read more about each request here . I was also grateful to be able to speak with so many of you this month as I was out in our community. I joined a memorial in Mamaroneck to commemorate the lives of members of our community who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Americans continue to be infected and others live with the lingering effects of Long COVID, we must strengthen our healthcare system, fight for Medicare for All,  and research the effects of COVID to save lives. Mamaroneck’s First Baptist Church celebrated their 100th anniversary, and I had the honor of presenting them with a Congressional proclamation to honor the occasion. Serving as a source of community, charity, and spirituality for community members for a century is a monumental achievement, and I’m honored to have celebrated with them. Over Memorial Day weekend, I had the opportunity to be out in the community to honor the courageous people who sacrificed their lives for our country. We must continue to grieve with the loved ones they left behind and hold the memories of our departed service members close in our hearts. I hope we can commit to honoring our departed service members by prioritizing peace and diplomacy to stop the cycle of never-ending wars. On June 13, my team will host a workshop on federal grants that are available for Houses of Worship and faith-based organizations. The meeting is intended to provide information about the grants process, what grants are available, and information on applying. The workshop will take place at 10 am on June 13 at Calvary Baptist Church, 32 W Post Rd., White Plains. Please RSVP by emailing Quantel.Bazemore@mail.house.gov and we hope to see you there! Some of the work I am proudest of is being able to provide direct assistance to members of our community who are facing unique challenges and need help in dealing with federal agencies. Our team went out into the community and set up mobile constituent services in the Bronx this month. Helping our neighbors with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services inquiries, passport issues, post office delays, and concerns with the IRS is a crucial part of my office’s work, and making this assistance accessible to all continues to be a priority for myself and my team. My team and I will continue mobile constituent services , and we may be visiting your neighborhood soon! If you need assistance with a federal agency, you can find us at an upcoming mobile constituent services event, email bowman.casework@mail.house.gov , or call our office at the numbers below. Stay tuned for future updates from my team and me on the work we’re doing for our community! Peace and love, C

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WPCNR REALTY REALITY. From the Hudson River Gateway Association of Realtors (edited) June 3, 2024:

Last week’s  report by the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR), based on data supplied by OneKey® MLS, also indicates that sales of single-family homes in the Bronx, Putnam and Sullivan counties decreased in April. The largest decline was in Putnam at 32.3%, followed by the Bronx at 31.4% and Sullivan at 22.2%.

Westchester County

Sales of condos in April experienced the highest jump at 32.5%, compared to single home sales with an 11.3% gain.

Co-op sales, however, saw a decline of 15.1%.

The median sales price for single-family homes keeps climbing – this time by 16.4% to $870,000. In April 2023, the median was $747,500.

Co-op median sales prices rose by 5.6% to $190,000, while the median for condos declined by 10.3% to $477,500. This time last year, the median stood at $532,500.

New listings for all property types increased, with single-family homes taking the lead at 11.3%, followed by condos at 10.8% and co-ops at 1.7%. Pending sales for all properties are up by 16.5%.

 Inventory fell for all property types with co-ops experiencing a 38.9% drop, followed by single-family homes with a 25.2% decline and condo, at 11.8% less. As of April, there were just 2.4 months of supply availability, which is down 17.2% from last year.

New listings of single-family homes rose in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, and Orange counties, while pending sales for all property types increased in every region except Rockland and Orange counties. Westchester showed the highest amount of new single-family listings at 11.3% over this time last year, while Putnam County had the highest growth in overall pending sales at 17.6%.

Condos in Rockland and Orange counties saw double-digit jumps in median sales prices, while median sales prices for condos in the Bronx and Westchester decreased by double-digits. Rockland County’s median priced condo sold for $390,000 – an increase of 12.6%. Conversely, new listings for condos declined in both Rockland and Orange counties, while increasing in the Bronx, Westchester, and Putnam counties.

Co-op median sales prices were also on the rise in the Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, and Orange counties. Orange County experienced the highest gain of 95%, with a median price of $195,000, up from just $100,000 in April 2023.

However, demand continues to outpace supply. Single-family homes in Westchester County saw the largest drop at 25.2%. “While inventory remains low across our region, signs are pointing to a more vibrant spring and summer market with both new listings and pending sales growing,” said Lynda Fernandez, HGAR CEO. “The fact that property sales continue to rise is also a good indicator of the consistent demand for housing in our region.”

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE. June 1, 2024:

After the passing of the 2024-25 City of White Plains budget Tuesday evening, Mayor Roach delivered an impromptu “State of the City” message to viewers on the White Plains Community Media channel. Here is the Mayor’s overview of where the city is going into the new budget year:

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As the White Plains Outdoor Arts Show comes to town on Main Street and North Broadway Saturday and Sunday, you can hear from Janet Langsam the grower the presence of the arts in Westchester for 30 years in this personal interview on her life, tips for living and growing your talent, the value of the arts and what viewing arts especially this weekend can do for you.

The interview  from her Arts Westchester Offices in White Plains, is available anytime on www.wpcommunitymedia.org just scroll down the “Video Wall” to “People to Be Heard” featuring her picture.

Or see the the conversation at 8 PM tonight throughout Westchester County on FIOS CH 45 and in White Plains on Optimum Ch. 76. The program will also be “on” at 7 on Saturday night.

Especially valuable for young people starting their careers, is Ms. Langsam’s walk about her early days, the value of hard work and being as she calls herself  “smart cookie.”

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE AND NEW ROCHELLE POLICE TO KICK OFF NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH WITH JUNE 1 COMMUNITY GUN BUYBACK

Up to $250 pre-paid gift cards will be offered for surrendered firearms with no questions asked

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the New Rochelle Police Department will host a community gun buyback event on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church located at 185 Lincoln Avenue in New Rochelle. Eligible participants will be offered up to $250 in pre-paid gift cards for surrendered firearms with no questions asked.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said: “As we begin National Gun Violence Awareness Month, we are proud to partner with the New Rochelle Police Department on our continuing efforts to reduce gun-involved incidents, including gun suicides. We hope the public takes advantage of this amnesty program—no I.D. is required, and no questions will be asked—to remove firearms from our communities and help prevent guns from ending up in the wrong hands.”

New Rochelle Police Department Commissioner Robert Gazzola said: “The New Rochelle Police Department is partnering with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office in this gun buyback program to help enhance community safety. By offering a safe and anonymous means for individuals to surrender firearms, we reduce the risk of these weapons falling into the wrong hands. This program not only removes guns from circulation but also prevents accidents, suicides, and potential use in criminal activities.”

Shiloh Baptist Church Dr. Rev. H. Lee Jordan said: “Community input in gun violence prevention and intervention is key to helping keep our neighborhoods safe. We are proud to partner with the D.A.’s Office and the New Rochelle Police Department to provide a safe space to host this gun buyback event.”

Guns must be unloaded and placed in a plastic bag, paper bag or box. If transported by car, guns must be unloaded, and in the trunk, placed in a plastic bag, paper bag or box.

Identification will not be required, and no questions will be asked.

Participants will be offered money in the form of pre-paid gift cards: $250 for assault rifles, $200 for handguns, $100 for shotguns or rifles, and $25 for non-working guns. Payment is subject to inspection and screening onsite by officials. There is no limit to the number of firearms that can be surrendered.

Licensed gun dealers and active or retired members of law enforcement are not eligible to participate, and 3-D printed guns are not eligible for the buyback program.

For more information, visit bit.ly/jun1gbb

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