THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

Natalie Weiss to Star in White Plains Performing Arts Center’s GHOST. Opens October 13 Through 29

Posted on September 20, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From the WPPAC. September 21, 2017:

The White Plains Performing Arts Center (WPPAC) is proud to announce that YouTube Sensation and American Idol Semi-Finalist NATALIE WEISS will star as Molly in GHOST THE MUSICAL, the Center’s first major offering of its Fall Season on-stage October 13-29.

Ms. Weiss rose to fame as a semi-finalist on Season 4 of American Idol and on her widely successful YouTube videos and web series “Breaking Down the Riffs” which collectively have reached over 3 million views, but Broadway theatre fans know her from her roles in Saturday Night Fever, Les Misérables, Everyday Rapture and Wicked.

Natalie has toured the world teaching and performing solo concerts. She has the privilege of singing on the Original Broadway Cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen and will soon be heard on the soundtrack for the upcoming Hugh Jackman movie musical, The Greatest Showman, based on the life of P.T. Barnum, with original music by Pasek and Paul.

Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg made GHOST one of the biggest hit films of all time. Now the Oscar-winning film comes alive on stage in a smart, funny, suspenseful and romantic musical for the whole family. Or just a great date night!

With a fresh pop/rock score by Grammy winners Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”), GHOST THE MUSICAL follows Sam and Molly, a young couple whose connection takes a shocking turn after Sam’s untimely death.

Trapped between two worlds, Sam refuses to leave Molly when he learns she is in grave danger. Desperate to communicate with her, he turns to a storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, who helps him protect Molly and avenge his death.

Bicycle Lane Money on Capital Projects Agenda This Afternoon 4 PM

Posted on September 19, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR INSIDE CITY HALL. From the City Clerk. September 19, 2017:

The Capital Projects Board meets today at 4 in City Hall to rearrange spending plans.

They will discuss amending the Capital Improvement Program to execute planned-for improvements to Transit District Pedestrian and Bicycle facilities into the current 2017-18 fiscal year, by contributing $300,000 in city dollars.

To do this, the Board will consider decreasing the money spent on Storm Water Drains by $150,000, reducing Storm Water Drain expenditures from $400,000 to $250,000.

The other half of the $300,000 will come from taking $150,000 from the project to replace off-street space meter replacement, reducing that project from $350,000 to $200,000.

Westchester County: Perfect for Amazon HQ: Mooney

Posted on September 18, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Bill Mooney, Westchester County Association. September 18, 2017:

A Community View by Bill Mooney

Dear Members and Friends of the WCA,

We wanted you to see a copy of Bill Mooney’s Community View posted today on lohud.com:

Amazon recently set off a frenzy when it announced that it was issuing an RFP to establish a location for its second hub. “HQ2,” as it’s called, needs a location with at least 1 million people; that is within 30 minutes of a major metropolitan area; that has proximity to an international airport and a network of highways and mass transit; that is near multiple colleges and universities that would provide its future workforce; and that has “the presence and support of a diverse population.”

The RFP also is seeking a downtown or suburban development site that could house its future campus (and the 50,000-plus people it would employ).

Sound like it should be Westchester? You bet.

Clearly, the growth of Amazon and other such companies is leading them to seek more space and access. This presents great opportunity for Westchester. But can we attract these companies here?

On the face of it, we have the features they are seeking, plus a great lifestyle, good schools, diverse communities, and a few million square feet of available inventory. To be even more competitive, we will need great incentives from New York State and our local communities. But it will take one other thing: the right digital infrastructure. Not having super-speed connectivity could make or break future deals. So, if we want to attract these tech giants, we need to step up to the plate, and that means updating our fiber networks to accommodate gigabit-speed internet.

A year ago, the WCA launched “Gigabit Westchester” and announced the formation of the “Smart Cities ComPACT,” signed by Westchester’s four largest cities. The idea was for the cities to work with the WCA to bring gigabit-speed broadband to every household, business, healthcare, and educational institution within three to five years.

Since then, we’ve rolled up our sleeves, done considerable research, and met with providers and business groups. What we’ve learned is that upgrading our digital infrastructure doesn’t have to take years, not with 5g wireless deployment made possible by transmitters the size of frisbees, which can be placed on rooftops and telephone poles. It can take just months, provided we work together to make it happen.

If Westchester aspires to become a key part of America’s digital economy, the time is now to start putting that infrastructure in place. In doing so, we will be able to spur business development, create jobs, and attract R&D investment. As tech industries are what’s driving the new wave of economic development, we need to reinvent how we do business and we need to think big.

Hopefully, Westchester and New York State will reply to Amazon’s RFP. Whether we become Amazon’s future home remains to be seen. But this I know: there will be more Amazons coming. The time is now to upgrade our digital infrastructure. In a fast-growing global digital economy, super-speed broadband is a key ingredient for prosperity.

Westchester, it’s time to take your shot.

Service Employees International Union Calls on County Legislators to Override Astorino Veto of IMMIGRANT PROTECTIONS BILL .

Posted on September 18, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR IMMIGRATION WIRE. From LOCAL SEIU. September 18, 2017:

Immigrants and their allies rallied in Yonkers for passage of the Westchester Immigrant Protection Act, which would protect the privacy of all residents and clearly distinguish between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.

Though the Act was passed in early August with the bipartisan support of 11 county legislators, County Executive Rob Astorino’s subsequent veto set up an override vote on Monday, September 25. For an override, the support of 12 legislators will be needed to pass the act into law. The rally called for Legislator David Tubiolo, who is among the minority of Legislators who voted against the Immigrant Protection Act in August, to change his mind.

“Our union enthusiastically endorses the Westchester Immigrant Protection Act as a vital tool for reinforcing the bonds of trust between immigrant communities and our local law enforcement,” said John Santos, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU Hudson Valley.

“Legislator Tubiolio has the opportunity to correct his record and stand with his constituents on the right side of history by voting yes on September 25. We encourage all County legislators to do the right thing and support the act, so that immigrants feel comfortable helping local authorities prevent and solve crime, thereby making Westchester safer for everybody.”

Studies have long shown that immigrants are more reluctant to report crime when they fear that police are acting as immigration agents.

Recently, the Trump administration’s indiscriminate and aggressive immigration crackdown has led to dramatic decreases in crime reporting among immigrants in cities like Houston.

This decrease makes criminals harder to catch, endangering the safety of all local residents.

The Westchester Immigration Protection Act reverses the trend by clearly protecting Westchester immigrants’ due process rights, their right to confidentiality, and every taxpayer’s right to the assurance that local law enforcement agencies are focusing all their time and resources on the protection of public safety.