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 WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. From New York Civil Liberties Union. December 13, 2006: New York City is creating a massive video surveillance infrastructure, according to a New York Civil Liberties Union report released today.

The proliferation of video surveillance cameras in the absence of legal or regulatory constraint, the NYCLU said, has profound implications for basic rights and liberties.

The report, “Who’s Watching? Video Camera Surveillance in New York City and the Need for Public Oversight,” documents a sharp increase in the number of video surveillance cameras — both publicly owned and privately owned — on Manhattan streets.


A 1998 study conducted by the NYCLU identified 2,397 video surveillance cameras visible from street level in Manhattan. Today’s report documents the locations of the same number of surveillance cameras in Greenwich Village and Soho alone. It also shows the locations of 292 surveillance cameras in Central Harlem, where cameras literally line 125th Street.

“Cameras are popping up on building facades, storefronts and light poles,” said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU Executive Director. “To the untrained eye these cameras are often hard to see. But their presence has significant implications for the rights of privacy, speech, and association.”

Unregulated video surveillance technology has already led to abuses in New York City, including the Police Department’s creation of visual dossiers on people engaged in lawful street demonstrations and the voyeuristic videotaping of individuals’ private and intimate conduct.

“Public officials have yet to consider the impact of this technology on basic rights and liberties,” said Robert A. Perry, NYCLU Legislative Director.

The report comes as City Council members push to mandate surveillance cameras in bars and night clubs by passing the so-called “Nightlife Safety Initiative,” the MTA moves to install cameras in buses without substantial privacy protections for the riders who will be captured on camera, and the NYCLU itself returns to court to challenge the NYPD’s policy of archiving video images of individuals engaged in lawful public demonstrations.

Philadelphia Police Staff Inspector Thomas J. Nestel, who in 2005 conducted a study of police surveillance policies and practices in the 50 largest cities in the United States, joined the NYCLU at its press conference to comment on video surveillance technology and the need for protections in cities nationwide.

“In order to prevent abuses that could endanger individual liberties, video surveillance systems must possess layers of protection,” Nestel said. “Written guidelines, training, adequate supervision, registration processes, image release policies and legislative penalties for misuse should serve as the minimum standard for operation.”

The NYCLU takes the position that the City Council should not utilize or mandate video surveillance cameras without undertaking a comprehensive analysis that establishes the scope and purpose of video surveillance cameras; procedures for training and supervising personnel who operate or maintain cameras; clear rules and procedures regarding retention, storage and destruction of images; explicit prohibitions of unlawful video surveillance practices; and penalties for violators of those
prohibitions.

Former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields noted: “Despite holding public hearings, many essential questions remain unanswered regarding the regulations, policies, training and clearly defined procedures in the installation and use of video cameras. … [T]he Report’s Recommendations would provide answers to the many questions, as well as establish integrity for implementation of such a program.”

The NYCLU’s report and maps and a special website on video surveillance are available at www.nyclu.org/surveillancecams.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. December 12, 2006: The Board of Education voted Monday evening to approve the development of a “pilot” dual language Kindergarten program at George Washington School to begin in fall 2007. A successful introduction next year could pave the way for Dual Language Kindergarten classes throughout the White Plains elementary schools in the near future. The program is being piloted because of the great success such programs have had in the New Rochelle and Port Chester School districts, according to Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors.

 

 

A presentation by George Washington School Principal Terri Klem and Newcomer Center Director, Suzanne Lasser, showed how Dual Language programs in New Rochelle in place in that District were responsible for Elementary Hispanic and Black students in New Rochelle scoring 15% more passing grades on the ELA Performance tests in 2004-2005. She also noted how New Rochelle Blacks and Hispanics outperformed their White Plains counterparts head-to-head on the 04-05 ELA Assessments, attributing the difference to the New Rochelle Dual Language instruction in the lower grades. Photos, WPCNR News

 

 

The White Plains Board of Education  voted unanimously  (5-0, with Donna McLauglin not present),  to pilot the program at a cost to the district of $60,000 a year. Principal Klem said that a state grant of up to $300,000 was available to pay for the pilot. The district is hopeful of securing this grant to pay for the pilot program.

 

Suzanne Lasser started the presentation by showing that Black and Hispanic Elementary school students in Two-Way Bilingual Programs between Kindergarten and Sixth Grade perform in the 70 percentile as opposed to Black/Hispanic students receiving traditional “pullout” from class ESL from grades K-6, who score in the 11^th percentile when they reach 12^th grade,  according to An Assessmentof Diverse Children executed by the National Clearing House for Bilingual Education.

 

Students using content-based English Spanish Language instruction in the elementary grades, eventually score in the 22^nd Percentile by 12^th grade;  When Bilingual Education is continued past 6^th grade with ESL Content – percentile scores rise to the 65% percentile (passing), with students receiving “Two-Way Bilingual” in the lower grades scoring in  the 70^th percentile (passing).

 

The New Ro Story.

 

Lasser unfolded a success story that lifted my eyebrows. She showed charts demonstrating the New Rochelle School District progress in 2004-2005 that she said was attributed to New Rochelle installing Dual Language education in Kindergarten in 2001-2002.

 

Before Dual Language, 39% New Rochelle Blacks in the year 2000-2001 recorded passing grades at the 3 level on the ELA Test in 4^th grade, and 18% scored at the “4” Level. In 2004-2005, the first year children exposed to Dual Language were taking the State Assessments in 4^th grade, 50% of the Black students scored at the 3 Level and 28% Scored in the 4 Level.

 

For Hispanic Students, the difference was significant, 51% of Hispanic Students passed without Dual Language instruction, and 7% of them scored at the 4 Level. Hispanic Students exposed to Dual Language instruction, taking the 2004-2005 ELA 4^th Grade Tests saw 53% Pass (achieving the 3 level), but more significantly 28% achieved scores at the 4 level.

 

A byproduct of the Dual Language program in New Rochelle is that it has improved performance of White Students too. A total of  43% the New Ro White Students not receiving Dual language instruction passed in 2000-2001, achieving the “3” level, and 36% achieved the “4” plateau. White students exposed to Dual Language taking the 2004-2005 Test saw 38% pass at the “3” Level, but a whopping 54% achieving “4” Levels. White Students passing went from 79% to 92%!

 

White Plains vs. New Ro — No Contest

 

The most telling chart was the comparison between White Plains 4^th Grade ELA tests with New Rochelle.

 

Lasser showed a chart comparing passing rates of White Plains Plains Blacks (63%)  being 16% below New Rochelle Blacks (79%), with the Hispanic difference less dramatic. New Rochelle Hispanic students taking the 4^th Grade ELA Tests in 2004-2005 saw 78% pass compared to 68% in White Plains.

 

Lasser said the “traditional” ESL Pullout method according to research showed “little academic progress and once mainstreamed, rarely (do they) catch up.” She said “Late Exit Bilingual Education, “English Language Learners outperform students in English-only programs.”

 

She described the advantages of Dual Language Instruction, as “providing language enrichment, students from both language groups outperform students in any other bilingual program and score above the 50^th percentile on standardized tests of English reading by the seventh grade.”

 

The Pilot model at G.W.

 

Ms. Klemm, the George Washington Principal, explained how George Washington wanted to implement the program.

 

Klemm reports the plan is to create two Kindergarten classrooms with two teachers handling a heterogenous group of students. Students, she said, “would travel from room-to-room for instruction in both languages.” Klemm said the Hola Espanol program now in place at G.W. has students writing in Spanish and English in second grade, and showed examples of their work.

 

Terri Klemm, George Washington School Principal last Night at the BOE, awaiting the Board vote.

 

The advantages of the Dual language instruction, Klemm noted these benefits that G.W. has already seen through the Hola Espanol program. She said the students develop first and second languages (English students, Spanish; Spanish-speaking students, English) and they help each other learn. She said the program “promotes bilingualism, biliteracy, and positive cultural attitudes. She described a “Homework buddies” program where English and Spanish-speaking students collaborate on homework and have playdates with each other – which has, she said, the beneficial effect of bring parents of Spanish and English students together.

 

She said both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students become “enculturated” with the new languages. 

 

Speaking to WPCNR after the meeting, Klemm said New Rochelle has been adding Dual Language classes each year.

 

Concern over the Tab.

 

The Board was impressed with the presentation, and Bill Pollak asked why it had not been done before. (As early as 2002, WPCNR had pointed out to certain Board of Education members, the success Port Chester was having with dual language, bilingual education in the K-6 levels.) Ms. Lasser said the Newcomer Center had to evaluate the programs it had in place. Superintendent of Schools Connors explained that at a recent meeting of school districts to discuss the Achievement Gap, the success of New Rochelle and Port Chester with Dual Language program was highlighted, and the suggestion for the pilot program came out of that meeting.

 

Terry McGuire, Board of Education, and Tim Connors, Superintendent of Schools.

 

Ms. Klemm did not indicate how much it would cost to install Dual Language Programs at all Kindergartens at G.W. – and did not have an estimate on the cost of such programs throughout the district. Terrance McGuire of the Board of Education said that he was concerned that “given all that we want to do (the capital improvements project,” he wandered how the District was going to pay for expanding this pilot should it be successful. Klemm had said earlier that her school had been very careful in hiring and had two teachers in place who were bilingual and could handle the two separate classrooms the conceived pilot requires.  She said the cost to the district, should the grant not be forthcoming would be $60,000.

 

Bill Pollak of the Board asked Ms. Lasser what she would say to those who would say their grandfathers came over to the United States and they did all right learning English. Lasser answered saying studies of the immigrant generation showed that the vast majority stopped their education at the 8th grade level and it was not until the third generation that their grandchildren caught up with the rest of the population in education.

 

 

 

 

 

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WPCNR THE HOMELESS NEWS. From The New York Civil Liberties Union. (Edited) December 11, 2006: As the New York State Legislature considers a bill hat would authorize the state to re-incarcerate individuals who have already served sentences for sex offenses, the New York Civil Liberties Union today released a report that finds stark racial disparities between the general population and the population of persons designated as Level 3 sex offenders — the vast majority the NYCLU finds are black.

The report also charges that New York uses flawed procedures for assessing an offender’s risk of re-offending.

The Mayor of the City of White Plains has protested strongly for the last year that Westchester County has been allowing Level 3 sex offenders to stay at county shelters at 85 Court Street and 86 Post Road in the city. Over the last year, 1 Level 3 sex offender has been identified at having made an appearance at the 85 Court Street shelter according to police records.


The NYCLU presented its data analysis in a letter to Governor George Pataki, Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The data shows that:

– Blacks make up 15.9 percent of the New York State population but represent 37.2 percent of Level 3 offenders.  Blacks are overrepresented by 134 percent.

– In the three upstate counties of Albany, Onondaga and Monroe, blacks are nearly three times more prevalent in the Level 3 population than in the general population. 

– Blacks represent 11.1 percent of the Albany County population, but 33.3 percent of the county’s Level 3 offenders. In Onondaga County, blacks represent 9.4 percent of the population, but 28 percent of Level 3 offenders. Monroe County’s black population is 13.7, but 39.1 percent of the county’s Level 3 offenders are black.

– On Long Island blacks are overrepresented among Level 3 offenders by 485 percent relative to their numbers in the general population.

– In Suffolk county blacks represent just under 7 percent of the general population but 42 percent of persons designated Level 3 offenders. 

– In Nassau County blacks represent approximately 10 percent of the general population but nearly 56 percent of those designated as Level 3 offenders. 

“These disparities indicate that racial bias affects the investigation and prosecution of sex crimes; the adequacy of legal representation provided the accused; and the procedures used to classify sex offenders regarding the risk they pose to public safety,” said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU Executive Director. “The proposed civil commitment bill endorses misguided public policy. Now it appears the bill would promote racial bias. The legislature must say no.”
   
The NYCLU’s letter will be available on its website, www.nyclu.org. The
report is also available on the website at
www.nyclu.org/pdfs/sexoffender_analysis_121106.pdf.

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WPCNR RINKSIDE By “Edge”Bailey. December 10, 2006: The Skyliners, the tri-state figure skating team of the Skating Club of New York and the Windy Hill Skating Club of Greenwich, Connecticut won the Junior Division Gold Medal Saturday afternoon in the Cape Cod Synchronized Skating Class competition in Bourne, Massachussetts, in their third major competition of the season. The rewarding skate followed up their promising  debut in the Dr. Porter Classic in Ann Arbor Michigan last weekend.

 

Junior Skyliners Two Lines in the Spread Eagle Splice — Coming at Each Other at 20 MPH — At the Point of No Return in their spectacular Eagle Splice — Setting the Tone in their Poseiden Adventure Long Program Saturday afternoon. The Juniors (14-18) won their First Junior Gold Medal in the Cape Cod Synchronized Skating Classic Saturday. Photo, WPCNR Sports

It was a glorious competition for teams from the New York, New Jersey area all around, with the Skyliners teams finishing strongly in every division, Team Image from Yonkers winning the Intermediate Division, and the Syncroettes of Morristown, New Jersey winning the Juvenile Division.

 

The Skyliner Novice team –Pinwheeling.

 

 

In addition to the Skyliner Junior win (division for girls 12-18), The Skyliner Novice team (girls under 15) skating sharper with every appearance, show their crisp pinwheel (all with footwork in synch) and going at each other in  their Backwards Splice Lunge (below) (“The Bladesof Death”) finished a strong Silver to the Hayden (MA) Ice Mates’  Gold performance (See Photo below)  as one great Novice program after another was skated. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

Hayden Recreation (MA) sassy Ice Mates — footwork perfect — skating to Gold in the Novice division to music from High School Musical. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

 

The Skyliner Juvies — In their Tumultuous Cheerleading Program

 

 

America’s Peppiest Most Energetic Precise Skating Cheerleaders — The spectacular Skyliner Juveniles (under 13) (shown in the two pictures above) won the Silver Medal (to go with their two  first place “Golds” in the Plymouth Thanksgiving Classic and the Terry Connors Competition). The Syncroettes of Morristown New Jersey (shown below), just eased past the Skyliner “Pep Girls” with a precise flamboyant skate to Annie Get Your Gun where the girls showed such command and showgirlship that they captured the Gold. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

The Syncroettes Showcase! Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

 

 

Team Image from the Yonkers Figure Skating Club scored a “knockout” with their “Rocky”  program to win the Intermediate competition (girls under 16).  Here, Team Image is shown skating “Rocky” at the Plymouth Thanksgiving Classic last month. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

 

Those Precocious Skyliner Prelimimaries skated to an amazing third straight Gold Medal in the Prelimary Team Division (Girls Under 10) with their jaunty, pridefilled program to “Anchors Aweigh”, shown here in an earlier skate this season at the Plymouth Thanksgiving Classic — their firstever competition skate — where they won the Gold Medal in a strong field.  Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

The Cape Cod Synchronized Skating Classic  was the strongest showing yet turned in by  the trio of New York-New Jersey synchronized skating teams on the Eastern Synchro Circuit. The Skyliner, Syncroette and Team Image programs synchronized skating fans attending the Colonial Classic in Lowell, coming up in three weeks will have great skates, high level competition to see. The elevation of the effort, creativity and hard work so noticeable at the Dr. Porter and the Bourne competition foreshadows perhaps the most competitive synchro season in years. It gave further indicatin why synchronized skating is the fastest growing discipline in figure skating.

 

Juniors in their Spread Eagle Block in their Poseiden Adventure Free Skate Saturday. Their effort gave them their first Gold, to The Lexettes from Hayden Massachussetts who challenged and placed second in the Junior Division with their trademark impeccable elegance and execution  (below) Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

The Lexettes of Hayden in their spectacular pinwheel, Spread Eagle, in the Junior Skate. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

Hard Work and Wanting to Get Better are What Synchro Preaches Most. Here, Team Delaware from the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club earned the Bronze Medal in the Junior Competition with their performance of the season so far, moving on up a tribute to the work ethic of skaters who would skate in sync! Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

The Skyliners Junior Team has skated in three competitions this year with the Junior team improving each time they take to the ice under the most complex and unforgiving scoring system in sports, the International.  every footwork move,  Choctaw and Mohawk and Twizzle, Bielman, rocker slice, and spread-eagle splice  is double checked against instant replay and if one skater is not executing “the move” simultaneously, the element (circle, pinwheel, splice) is not scored. Flying across the ice at 20 to 30 miles per hour on one blade up in your face, and no pads or face mask, synchronized skating has no margin for error. Just precision, concentration and nerve, baby, or look out!

 

The Skyliner Juniors in that Tina Turner Attitude, beginning their Short Program Friday evening.  The Skyliner Juniors are: Juliana Bailey, Mollie Barr, Nicole Battasglia, Cerene Belli, Heather Dillman, Laura Fayer, Alyssa Franco, Mary Halling, Deanna Jensen, Hannah Kasper, Christina Kyriakos, Christina Lee, Caitlin Lombardi, Kelsey Loveday, Emma Marr, Michele Noviello, Christine Salamone, Becky Schwartzman, Allegra Staples, Nikki Wylan. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

 

 

In Friday evening’s Short Junior Program, the Juniors’ two and a half minute technical skate to Rolling on the River, the Skyliner Junior Girls executed their Circle, Line, block and wheel and intersection crisply with power and sass and Tine Turner attitude, following that up with a dramatic, dignified body language skate to The Poseiden Adventure Saturday afternoon for their first Gold Medal ever.

 

Skyliners “Nail” a Block in their Long. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

Another View of the Skyliners Spread Eagle Splice Performed in their Short Program in the Plymouth Thanksgiving Classic. Photo WPCNR Sports

 

The Long Program, is required to display nine elements:  A block, a circle, two intersections, one line, one wheel, one Movements in Isolation, one No Hold Up step sequence and one split element. Their Spread Eagle splice in the long program performed about 40 seconds into the program set the tone.

 

The team skated up to the Spread Eagle splice this year – an intense gutsy splice introduced by Miami University of Ohio Senior National Champions last year – where you cannot pull out or change line direction or stance when passing through the line of girls coming right at you in similar stance – was pulled off at the highest speed they have ever done it, evoking shrieks from the 1,000 fans rinkside.

 

The Juniors Executing their graceful  “Group Spiral”. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

Josh Babb, former Canadian Junior Ice Dance Champion, Skyliners Coach (with Jenny Gibson)  and Choreographer,  Director of Synchronized Skating for the Skyliners, was proud of his team for improving to the point where they were “getting all the calls” and improving their score 22 points over their Porter performance 5 days previously in Michigan. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

 Saturday the Skyliners  accomplished something at a high level the Juniors as a team had never done before, they skated to Gold. Each competition the work they have done has paid off in improved scores with one exception. At the Thanksgiving Classic in Plymouth, where they were one of two teams skating, they skated the Short to a 49.18 score. At Dr. Porter in Ann Arbor, they skated both their Short and Long together for the first time to a 117.46 score, finishing 5^th of 12 teams in the Short, and 7 of 11 teams in the long.

 

After skating their Short Program for a 49.07 Friday evening for first, Saturday the Juniors lifted their Free Skate Long Program to a new level, 90.64, for a First Place score of 139.71. They got called (credited) for all their elements on the Long Program – the first time that has ever happened for the team. Now the goal is to bring that level of performance to the Colonial Classic in Lowell, Massachussetts next up on the Synchro Circuit on January 4-7.

 

Wearing Gold — A Once-in-a-Lifetime Feeling. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

From competition to competition, practice to practice the team, the high school girls have concentrated, worked and pushed their hearts to get better in short and long programs in the intricate footwork and the all important posture and arm movements the merciless judges observe. In each competition they have skated better, adjusted mental attitudes to perform under pressure. In synchro you have one skate to be great. It is all about mind, body, heart, spirit and nerve being in, natural synchronization.   

 

 

Sisters on Ice: Team Delaware (Bronze Medalists) and The Skyliners congratulate each other. A testimony to the pride and sense of achievement that improved performance through work, pride, and determination synchronized skating offers. Photo, WPCNR Sports

 

As a souvenir shirt in Ann Arbor proclaimed: 

 

“Football, 4 downs

Baseball, 3 Strikes

Tennis, 2 Serves

Skating, One Chance.”

 

 

The John Gallo Arena– Home of the Bourne Cape Cod Syncronished Skating Classic. Photo, WPCNR Sports.

 

 

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WPCNR’S THE FEINER REPORT. By Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. December 10, 2006:

The NY State Assembly Health Committee will be holding public hearings on the Berger Commission report on hospital and nursing home closings this coming Monday at 11 AM at White Plains Library, 100 Martine Ave, White Plains. The committee is providing people with an opportunity to testify in person or via e mail. If you cannot testify in person you should e mail the Assembly at the following address: HealthHearing@assembly.state.ny.us.  This is the first time that the State Assembly is providing people with the opportunity to testify electronically. The ‘e hearing’ will enable the committee to hear from many more people than will be able to testify in person.

Oral testimony is limited to ten minutes in length. (Mr. Feiner will be delivering the following remarks:)