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)

Somers Middle School Presents New Rooftop Solar Energy Installation–1st such school project Opened in State. White Plains Schools Approved for Panels at Post Road and the High School

Posted on June 7, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. From the New York Power Authority and WPCNR’s John Bailey. June 7, 2017:

The Somers Middle School in Westchester County today unveiled its new rooftop solar system to become New York State’s first school to receive a portion of its electricity through Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s innovative K-Solar clean energy initiative.

The K-Solar program helps schools statewide save money on energy and lower their carbon footprints, while also inspiring the next generation of energy leaders.

The Somers district paid no upfront costs for the solar project and will pay a fixed rate for the energy produced by the solar array.

The White Plains City School District has been approved for installing two such installations in the Governor’s program at the new Post Road School and White Plains High School, according school district Administrator of Facilities and Operations, Frank Stefanelli. Stefanelle told WPCNR it is a Planned Purchase Agreement of 18 years, and the details of the contract are currently being negotiated. He confirmed there is no charge for the two projects, that would be installed by Solar City.

Jill Anderson, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at the New York Power Authority (NYPA), Dr. Raymond H. Blanch, Superintendent of Schools for the Somers Central School District, and Somers Middle School Principal Jeff Getman kicked off a “turning on the panels” ceremony today at the school, along with 50 8^th grade science class students, teachers and staff.

“The Somers district is leading the way in showing its community the importance of using renewable energy by going solar,” said Jill Anderson, NYPA executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “The K-Solar program provides the expertise to integrate a new power source into a district’s infrastructure while also incorporating lessons on sustainability and clean energy technology into a school’s curriculum.”

K-Solar is a core component of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers. The program aims to make solar energy an affordable and accessible option for schools in New York State that are interested in reducing their energy bills and carbon footprint. K-Solar also supports New York State’s goal to supply 50 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030; the Governor’s “50 by 30” renewables goal.

About 380 districts – more than half the number in the state – have registered for the K-Solar program, which is also part of Cuomo’s $1 billion NY-Sun effort to expand the growth of a sustainable solar industry statewide. A partnership between NYPA and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in collaboration with competitively selected solar developers, the K-Solar program aims to bring solar power to more public districts and non-public K-12 schools throughout the state.

As announced by Governor Cuomo last week as part of his Climate Jobs initiative, NYPA will double annual investments in energy efficiency and solar deployments from $150 million to $300 million to get more clean, renewable energy into local governments, public facilities, and schools.

As part of this investment, NYPA will conduct 1,000 energy efficiency and solar audits for municipalities and school districts by 2020 to help support prudent investments. NYPA also will install more than 125 megawatts of solar capacity on schools and other public buildings by 2020, through its K-Solar and BuildSmartNY initiatives, achieving a 300 percent increase in distributed solar projects at public facilities statewide.

The 390-panel 120-kilowatt system, located on the roof of the Somers Middle School, is expected to generate more than 136,000 kilowatt hours of solar electricity a year to offset the building’s electric load.

Overall, the project is expected to save the school more than $27,000 in energy costs. It is also estimated to offset more than 170,000 pounds of CO2 each year, which is equivalent to removing more than 280 cars from the road.

The middle school will be able to monitor the panel’s energy production live-time on a monitor in their lobby that shows the kilowatt hours of energy produced each day, how much was consumed and the percent of energy that is offset by solar.

The school, which already includes clean energy and climate change lessons in its STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes, will incorporate the real-time monitor and the solar panels into their electricity lessons. The K-Solar program offers training workshops for teachers at participating schools to train them on incorporating clean energy lessons into their STEM curriculums.

The Somers Central School District was already familiar with solar as it had a 50-kilowatt solar installation added to the roof of its high school in 2011 with the help of a NYSERDA grant.

To date, 25 districts throughout the state have signed 48 individual power purchase agreements and are developing solar panel installations.For more information or to register your school for an energy evaluation visit the K-Solar section of the NYPA website.

WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL HONORS ITS 200 CANCER SURVIVORS AT ANNUAL CANCER SURVIVORS DAY BRUNCH

Posted on June 6, 2017 by John Bailey

White Plains Hospital cancer survivors reunite with Sandy Aurfiero, NP (far left) and Sara Sadan, MD, Director, Breast and Women’s Medical Oncology (center) during the White Plains Hospital Cancer Survivors celebration on June 4th at the Crowne Plaza hotel below.
All Photos, Courtesy White Plains Hospital, by John Vecchiolla with exception of the photo below.

The crowd of well-wishers, doctors and 200 White Plains Hospital- treated cancer survivors were in attendance. Photo by an attendee.

WPCNR HEALTH NEWS. From White Plains Hospital. June 6, 2017:

White Plains Hospital honored cancer survivors treated in the Hospital’s Center for Cancer Care at its annual Cancer Survivors Day brunch on Sunday June 4^th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Now in its 30^th year, the event celebrates the courage and determination displayed by cancer survivors throughout the community. It also acknowledges the fight for the cure that doctors and the entire multidisciplinary team engage in every day.

Susan Fox, White Plains Hospital President & CEO; Nicholas Signorelli, Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker; Una Hopkins, DNP, Administrative Director, Cancer Program at White Plains Hospital

The 2017 guest of honor and keynote speaker was Nicholas Signorelli of Mount Vernon who was acknowledged for his strength and courage throughout his cancer experience, as well as his longtime support of the White Plains Hospital Cancer Program.

Mr. Signorelli was joined by approximately 300 fellow cancer survivors, caregivers, physicians, nurses and other clinicians in the Hospital’s Cancer Program, which treats thousands of patients every year.

Oncologic Surgeon and Chairman of the Hospital’s Cancer Committee, Dr. Mark Gordon; Chairman of the Board of Directors Larry Smith; the Hospital’s President and C.E.O. Susan Fox; and Mayor of White Plains Tom Roach addressed the group and joined in the celebration, along with dozens of members of the Hospital’s interdisciplinary cancer care team.

: Laurence Smith, Chairman, White Plains Hospital Board of Directors; Susan Fox, President & CEO of White Plains Hospital; White Plains Hospital Physician Anthony Loiacano, MD; White Plains Mayor Tom Roach; Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker, Nicholas Signorelli;White Plains Hospital Physician Carol Lederman, MD; Una Hopkins, DNP, Administrative Director, Cancer Program at White Plains Hospital; Mark Gordon, MD, Surgical Director of the Cancer Program at White Plains Hospital

“This is a day when we can step away from our professional roles and simply enjoy the company of our survivors,” said Dr. Gordon. “It gives us the opportunity to celebrate special milestones with survivors and their loved ones. It also inspires us to further our efforts in finding increasingly effective treatments so that the number of survivors can grow even larger.”

Former White Plains Hospital patients and cancer survivors join White Plains Mayor Tom Roach (also a White Plains Hospital cancer survivor) at the hospital’s annual Cancer Survivors Celebration Sunday.

In addition to a festive brunch, the survivors and their caregivers were offered the opportunity to experience massage therapy and healing touch by trained members of the Hospital’s holistic care team. They also learned about the scope of complementary care programs and services provided by the Cancer Program.

In 2016, the Hospital opened its new Center for Cancer Care, an expanded facility that provides comprehensive and coordinated cancer care in partnership with the Montefiore Health System.

You can view the WHITE PLAINS TV “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” VIDEO TOUR OF THE CENTER FOR CANCER, WITH DR. UNA HOPKINS and PEOPLE TO BE HEARD’S JOHN BAILEY, VIDEO-TAPED IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR ON YOUTUBE AT

The new Center is double the square footage of the original Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center, which opened in 1999. It encompasses the renovated Dickstein pavilion, an additional six-story outpatient physician oncology pavilion, two infusion centers, and ample space for complementary therapies and amenities designed for optimal patient comfort and an enhanced patient and family experience. The Center for Cancer Care also offers a multitude of clinical trials and groundbreaking research opportunities for patients, many in collaboration with the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care.

According to the NYS Cancer Registry, more than 100,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with cancer every year. The American Cancer Society estimates that there were nearly 14.5 million cancer survivors in the United States in 2014, up from 9.8 million in 2001 and 3 million in 1971.

Today, 73 Years Ago, The Thousands, The Brave, The Strong, The Everyday Men, The Good Died and Lived to Defeat Tyranny and Evil: D-Day, 1944

Posted on June 5, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR MILESTONES. June 5, 2017:

It is 73 years today since allied troops died and lived on Normandy’s beaches in France in the largest military operation in history to turn the tide against Nazi Germany, the ultimate evil Third Reich.

It is a day to remember, reflect. Examine ourselves. Would we have the courage those men and women did?

I thought in preparing my simple news program yesterday, what kind of a visual should I put up to remember those brave who faced massive, withering fire hitting them and dying instantly on those beaches? Should it be the sobering pictures of the wounded? The sobering lineups of corpses in the sand? The overhead awe-inspiring photographs of the landing?

I chose this: thousands of crosses to remember who died together fighting tyranny and evil because you must always fight tyranny and evil and hate together. You cannot negotiate with it.

The crosses are all the same. And there are thousands of them in graveyards like the one shown here. The legacy of spent humanity, all the same in death, united in death no matter their nationality, creed, religion. Next time you hear the speeches of hate and prejudice and superiority, please remember this picture and this day.

Seventy three years ago this morning, thousands of troops stormed the beaches in Normandy, France in the largest invasion in history.The bloody assault against a heavily defended coastline, requiring incredible courage and sacrifice by allied troops, landing craft, paratroops, signalled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich and the regime of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany.The quiet beaches of Normandy today. The hundreds of rows of white crosses in cemeteries around the little town bear silent eternal vigil to the sacrifice of those brave men and women who fought, died, and triumphed this day 73 years ago tomorrow.

We can in no way, or through any motion picture know what any veteran experienced that day. The veterans who still are with us do not like to talk about their combat experiences. And they do not.

One veteran of D-Day, asked what he thought of Saving Private Ryan, the movie of a few years ago depicting the landing and the realism of it, said the real D-Day was worse. However, veterans we have interviewed remark that they think of their combat experience every day. It is always with them.

It is inconceivable to me that I could ever be able to do what these men and women did. I would like to hope I could have. However, the veterans have.

They left ordinary lives as teenagers office workers, factory workers, farmers, accountants, and what have you and were able to go to war and “rise to the occasion,” or as they say today, “step it up to the next level.” The highest level.

Few of them are left now. But today their sacrifices should be remembered.

New City Court Judge Elizabeth Shollenberger Caseload Reassigned. Will Not Get New Cases Until She is Able to Return to the Bench. No Return Date Set.

Posted on June 3, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. June 3, 2017:

City Court Judge Elizabeth Shollenberger

The Chief of Administrative Judge of the Courts for New York State, has reassigned all cases previously assigned to new White Plains City Court Judge in an Administrative Order issued May 2. The order appears below:

“Pursuant to the authority vested in me, effective immediately, I hereby direct that 1) all judicial matters currently pending before the Hon. Elizabeth Shollenberger, City Court Judge of the City of White Plains, shall be reassigned to such other judge or judges as the Hon. Michael V. Coccoma, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts Outside the City of New York, or his designee shall direct; and (2) no additional judicial matters shall be assigned to Judge Shollenberger until further order of the Deputy Chief Administrative Judge.”

Leonard K. Marks

Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts

Lucien Chalfen, spokesperson for Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, Janet DiFiore, confirmed Ms. Shollenberger’s removal from the cases to WPCNR Thursday, telling WPCNR, Ms. Shollenberger has been told to remain at home until she is able to return to her duties. Chalfen said she has not been removed from the court and is still a judge on the City Court. He said no date has been set for her return. It is WPCNR’s information that the reason for the order concerns a personal health issue.

Shollenberger was appointed Judge to fill the vacancy left by the Barbara Leek retirement by the White Plains Common Council in December. A long time Chair of the White Plains City Democratic Committee and Treasurer for Mayor Thomas Roach’s Campaign, Shollenberger joined the court in January.