WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Fort Hill Players. March 9, 2005: DEATHTRAP, the twisting, surprising, Tony Award winning murder mystery with a twist by Ira Levin brings its sinister mindgames to “The Roch” Friday evening when the Fort Hill Players premier their winter production Friday at 8.

THE PLAY’S THE THING: Scott Faubel (right)  Has a Surprise for Mike Edmunds in the murder mystery, Deathtrap, debuting Friday at The Roch. Photo by WPCNR StageCam.

Tickets for Deathtrap are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. It will be presented Fridays and Saturdays at 8 P.M. on March 11, 12, 18, 19. There will also be a matinee at 2 P.M., March 12. “The Roch” is located at Rochambeau School, 228 Fischer Avenue, White Plains.  A Dinner Theater package is also available. For more information contact 914-309-7278 or visit www.forthillplayers.com.

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WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. March 8, 2005: We all deserve quality health care and we must preserve our ability to care for those in need. In the past, I have worked to bolster health care funding and pass legislation vital to our every day medical care. During this legislative session and throughout state budget negotiations, health care will be at the top of my priority list.

I have recently introduced bipartisan legislation to help study and eventually prevent deaths caused by hospital-related infections (A.5813) by requiring hospitals to report their hospital-acquired infection rates to the Department of Health four times a year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 90,000 people die annually as a result of infections contracted in hospitals – 7,000 deaths here in New York alone, according to the Center for Medical Consumers.

On top of the dangerous health risks, the Committee to Reduce Infectious Deaths estimates a serious hospital-related infection can add an average of $57,000 to a patient’s hospital bill, which also contributes to rising insurance premiums. Currently, hospitals are required to report unexpected deaths and infection outbreaks to the DOH, but the agency does not track deaths caused specifically by infections.

Along with gathering more information, we must take new technology by the reins and march forward into a new era of medical treatment. That is why I am supporting legislation announced last week by the Assembly majority to promote stem cell research in New York State. Biotechnology is a vital part of today’s economy. Our plan would fund stem cell research through the new Health Care Reform Act (HCRA) beginning July 1, 2006. This year $100,000,000 would be allocated, growing to $200,000,000 in the second year of the two-year HCRA cycle.

The plan creates the New York State Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, which would support the treatment of chronic degenerative diseases. Human stem cell research could lead to new treatments, prevention methods and even potential cures for many debilitating diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS, spinal cord injuries and diabetes. It is time that New York be a part of this exciting new branch of medical research.

Assisted living facilities: Know your rights

Assisted living facilities are most often an excellent way for seniors to maintain their independence while gaining access to necessary medical care. Unfortunately, some of these unregulated facilities can do more harm than good. It is crucial that our most vulnerable citizens are protected from such poor quality of care.

Fortunately, a new law that I sponsored, known as the Assisted Living Reform Act, works to protect the health and well-being of seniors by requiring state oversight and licensing of assisted living facilities. The law went into effect February 23 (Ch. 2 of 2004).

      The Assisted Living Reform Act requires public disclosures and sets forth a clear set of consumer rights, which:

·        require each facility to clearly post resident rights;

·        require the execution of a written residency agreement with each resident;

·        set guidelines regarding the management of a resident’s money and property;

·        require facilities to assist in the development and operation of resident and family councils; set uniform guidelines for the admission, discharge and transfer of residents; and

·        establishes a uniform licensing procedure for assisted living facilities through the state Department of Health

      Hospitals and nursing homes under attack

      As I have mentioned in a previous column, Governor George Pataki has introduced a budget that would devastate Westchester County’s hospitals and nursing homes. He is using health care funding as a tool in budget negotiations putting quality health care at risk. Having seen Westchester hospitals on life support and watching them close, we know all too well what is at stake.

      According to the Healthcare Education Project, a joint initiative of the Greater New York Hospital Association and 1199 SEIU, hospitals and nursing homes in Westchester County stand to lose more than $25.5 million in the governor’s budget. Here is how his budget would impact facilities in and around my district:

·        Westchester Medical Center                                  – $9.5 million

·        White Plains Hospital Center                                  – $1.1 million

·        Northern Westchester Hospital                              – $729,271

·        Burke Rehabilitation Hospital                                 – $457,179

·        Four Winds, Inc.                                                       – $254,124

·        St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Center for Children       – $142,000

Without proper funding, how can we maintain the health care we need for our families? I intend to fight these draconian cuts, which we can ill afford.

We must protect our hospitals, assisted living facilities, and enhance medical research   As session progresses, I believe we can move forward and celebrate new achievements in medicine. It is our responsibility to ensure the health care of our community remains available, vibrant and groundbreaking. We must not allow our community’s health care to flat line.

Adam T. Bradley

89th Assembly District

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. March 8, 2005: The fourteen-year Common Councilman, Robert Greer, with a slow, quiet voice and conservative movements, announced to the City of White Plains Monday night that he has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the affliction that struck down Yankee First Baseman Lou Gehrig in the early spring of 1939, and ended his major league career by July of that year. 

YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET, were Councilman Robert Greer’s fighting words as he promised to viewers of WPGA-TV White Plains Government Access Television Monday night that he would stay on the Common Council and serve “as long as I’m able.”  Mayor Delfino said he welcomed Mr. Greer’s continued service because the Council works as a team. Photo Capture of WPGA-TV Common Council Cablecast by WPCNR News.

Mr. Greer, speaking to the public at the televised monthly Common Council meeting said there was no cure for the disease which he said afflicted the nerves controlling movements of the body, but it did not affect his mind. “I’m still me,” he said. He promised he would serve on the Common Council as long as he was able. He said he still is able to work out three times a week. He said he had been diagnosed by Columbia Presbyterian Hospital after many tests over the last six months.

Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with the disease in spring of 1939, retired from baseball by July of 1939, and died from the disease two years later in July, 1941.

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WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. March 7, 2005: A reader who takes taxis regularly from the White Plains Trans Center and Metro North railroad station says drivers routinely ignore the Customer’s Bill of Rights. Here is his letter:

Dear sirs,
        I’ve recently moved to Greenburgh, and I frequently take cabs from
the White Plains train station.  I have some questions about the cabs here
that I hope you can help me with:

1) In some cabs I’ve seen a “passenger bill of rights”.  Can you tell me
more about this?  Is it Westchester law, or was it created by that
particular cab company?

2) One of the rights listed was that for an extra dollar, you could take the
cab without sharing it.  If this is the case, I’ve found it very difficult
to get drivers to acknowledge it.  I’m only interested because of one
_extremely_ long cab ride home that should have been five minutes.

3) I’ve never seen a driver’s ID posted inside the cab.  Is it a requirement
that they post this?

Sometimes the drivers do their jobs well but other times even trying to talk
to them is frustrating.  They’re often uncommunicative, and even angry.
It’s a part of my trip home from NYC that I don’t look forward to.

Thank you,
Charles Lewis

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WPCNR Phantom of the Theatre. By John F. Bailey. March 5, 2005: Forget American Idol. Forget about the old Our Gang comedies. You want a show — you go to Westco!

The 62 talented lads and lassies from 5 to 15 and some talented alumni of Westco Productions had an appreciative audience of over 350 persons clapping, teary-eyed, and foot-tapping at the Weschester youth theatre group’s twenty-fifth Anniversary Show, Give My Regards to Broadway Saturday afternoon at Westchester Broadway Theatre.

They did it all in one take, with no fluffs, no muffs, with only one dress rehearsal on the complex WBT stage!

The Westco Company in their grand finale, finishing with a rousing, “You’re a good woman, Susan Katz!” saluting the founder of children’s theatre in Westchester to conclude the show Saturday afternoon. Photo by WPCNR StageCam

Susan Katz, Westco Founder and Executive Director, right,  honoring two of the giants of Westco, Kelly Budde, center,  Director of the Children’s Workshops, and Cindy Moore, left, their Musical Director. Showstopper after showstopper by the little thespians showed the professionals how it is done as the group performed 25 Broadway Classics from the title tune to their topper, Copacabana. Photo by WPCNR StageCam

WESTCO ALUMNA Tracy Tummarello, who formerly played Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, for Westco cavorts in the group number My New Philosophy, responding to her “class.” Photo by WPCNR StageCam

Listen to those Dancin’ Feet: The Company performing 42nd Street  in the footlights. Photo by WPCNR StageCam.

Give me that Old Soft Shoe! Graduating Westco stars, graduating “dancing queen” Allison Shlom, left, and Jake Meiner performing “I Can Do That!” . The talent Westco has brought out of Westchester’s youngsters was something to see. Photo by WPCNR StageCam

The Telephone Hour performed with Westco oriented lyrics, was one of the highlights of the show. Photo by WPCNR StageCam.

DEBONAIR EMCEE Jason Summers in tux, and the three Westco Graduates, left to right, honored with roses during the show: Jake Meiner, Allison Shlom, and Nicholas Brovender. Mr. Summers started with Westco when he was 8 years old, and now makes his living as a director and an actor at the tender age of 23. He could easily replace Conan O’Brien or Jay Leno on the networks, because his patter from scene to scene in the show, his quips were funny that genuinely got the laughs from the adult audience, and he writes all his own material. He sings, too, doing Happy Face with the contingent and improvising ditties inbetween the acts. He’s pleasant to listen to, commands the stage and recalls the elegance of Fred Astaire. Photo by WPCNR StageCam

WPCNR asked Mr. Summers, and the three graduating Westco youngsters about what makes the Westco children’s theater experience special.

Ms. Shlom said she had done 13 shows with Westco, and said “Every time I get on stage I really enjoy myself.” She plans to go to an acting camp this summer and continue her stage work. Asked what she likes best about her Westco career, she said, “It helps me get confidence for going on stage, and it helps me make friends also.

Mr. Summers, the veteran emcee who turned his Westco experience into his profession said, “I was eight years old and a neighbor actually brought us the brochure. I was always a ham as a child, and it seemed like a natural progression to come to Westco. I’ve been here for fifteen years now.”

Westco seems to have worked for Mr. Summers, who works professionally as an actor and director. He’s directed off-Broadway, on national tours and in regional theatre in Florida and California. He has also performed off-Broadway and on tour. Asked if he was making his living in theatre, Mr. Summers said, “Yes, making my living in theatre. It can be done.” 

Young Mr. Meiner is in his tenth show with Westco in three years. He joined them at 10 years of age, and says “I love it.”

Bringing out the Confidence.

Asked what Westco does that makes him enjoy it, Meiner said, “Everyone’s so kind. Everyone, like the directors are so open to all your ideas, and they’re so considerate of you, and like “Alix” (Shlom) said, it really helps you make friends and learn to really…you grow to love Westco.”

Mr. Meiner, now that he is graduating Westco, plans to continue acting in his school shows. WPCNR asked if Westco helps him with the ability to audition. Meiner said,

“Yes, Cindy (Musical Director), has really helped us with being able to sing, and projection from what we learn from Cindy, we can go on to further auditions and learn further information.”

Nicholas Brovender has been in 13 Westco shows, his 10th workshop. Asked what his favorite show was, he said, “Well, just the whole idea of being here. We’ve become really good friends over time. It’s just getting to come here every Saturday (Rochambeau School-Westco’s home stage), visit with your friends.”

The First Lady of Children’s Theatre, Susan Katz, Westco Founder and Executive Director thanks her production crew for their help over the years. Photo by WPCNR StageCam.

WPCNR caught up with Ms. Katz after the show and asked her to tell us how Westco began. She recalls she was just coming off the road in about 1977, after being road manager for Godspell that had just come off Broadway.

“I’d been touring all around and I came back in from the road, and said you know, I like doing theatre and all, and I have no idea what got into my head about doing theatre for children, like adult performances for children like we do. I went to the Westchester County Recreation and Parks Department, and they were very receptive to partnering with me. That’s when Westco Productions was born in 1979. Then we become nonprofit in 1983. We were doing a lot of shows in the Little Theatre in the Westchester County Center.”

Ms. Katz’s shows attracted a large  number of handicapped children in wheelchairs who came to the Little Theatre and had to be carried up stairs to see the shows. She then moved her shows to the Church Street School auditorium that was not used by the Board of Education. They rented the auditorium from the White Plains Child Day Care Association. When the Board of Edcuation reopened Church Street School, Westco moved to the Music Hall in Tarrytown. Now Westco operates out of Rochambeau School in White Plains.

Judging from the happiness of the young performers Saturday afternoon, the talent’s out there and Westco’s bringing it out of our youngest and brightest.

Saturday’s show was produced with eight weeks of rehearsals, only one dress rehearsal at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, and the troupers got it right on the very first take. They received five minutes of applause.

In the 2005-06 season Westco promises The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Littlest Pilgram, Frosty the Snowman (the longest running children’s show in the country), Adventures in Storyland, The Rainbow Fish, Miss Nelson Is Missing!!!, and Let’s Explore The Explorers. Each of these shows are schedule for next year. Next year’s Westco Workshops where every child gets a part, and feature singing, dancing and acting have not been programmed yet. The workshops rehearse on Saturdays.  Workshops coming up are Anastasia and Jr. Rockin Rollers.

Westco is beloved all over the metropolitan area for their performances in some 80 hospitals around the area for children recovering from illnesses and injuries. Westco also performs specialty shows in schools of an educational nature. Upcoming shows are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs April 7,8 and 9th at Rochambeau Theatre on 220 Fisher Avenue, White Plains, and The Town Mouse & The Country Mouse, May 5,6,7, at Rochambeau and May 9 to 13 in Suffern and May 14.

For more information on Westco, they have their website, www.westcoprods.com.