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)

TRUMP BUDGET CUTS FUNDS FOR HIV/AIDS, STD ORGANIZATIONS. RATES OF STD INFECTIONS HIGHEST IN 20 YEARS

Posted on May 24, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR HEALTH USA. Combined Statement from Five National Health Organizations. May 24, 2017:

Yesterday, President Donald Trump released his administration’s detailed FY 2018 Budget. AIDS United, NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors, NMAC and The AIDS Institute join together to oppose the draconian cuts proposed by the Administration including many programs that are essential for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS and STDs.

“The country has made great progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and STDs, but if these cuts are enacted, we will turn back the clock, resulting in more new infections, fewer patients receiving care, and ultimately, more suffering from diseases that are preventable and treatable.” said Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute.

The President’s budget proposes to cut CDC’s HIV prevention programs by $149 million or 19 percent, cut CDC’s STD prevention programs by $27 million or 17 percent since FY 2016, totally eliminate the Ryan White Program’s AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) and the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) programs, eliminate the HHS Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund, reduce SAMHSA’s Minority AIDS Initiative programs, and cut the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program at HUD by $26 million.

Jesse Milan, Jr., President & CEO of AIDS United stated, “We have seen historic decreases in the number of new HIV infections over the past six years because of sustained investments in prevention, and we have thousands of HIV positive Americans who have yet to achieve viral suppression through treatment programs. By cutting funding, the work we have done will be reversed, and all the work left to do will falter and put the health of our nation at risk.”

“President Trump’s proposal to reduce CDC’s STD prevention work comes at a moment of national crisis when we are seeing the highest STD rates in 20 years. If enacted, this will devastate our ability to prevent and treat STDs and it will undermine our ability to prevent HIV. We urge Congress to reject these extreme cuts and increase STD, HIV and public health funding,” said David C. Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors.

“I fear that these cuts signal the Administration’s lack of empathy for people living with or who are at risk for HIV,” said Paul Kawata, Executive Director of NMAC. “President Trump’s proposal to eliminate or dramatically cut many of these programs will increase the racial and socio-economic disparities we see in communities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. This budget will hurt the most vulnerable, and Congress must consider it a non-starter.”

Murray C. Penner, Executive Director of NASTAD concluded, “Together we will fight these cuts at every stage of the appropriations process. We need to protect these programs that provide life-saving treatment for those living with HIV and work to prevent the spread of HIV and STDs. We trust that Congress will agree and recognize that these cuts are harmful, short-sighted, and will damage our nation’s public health infrastructure

County Executive Signs Law Banning Sale and Possession of Synthetic Drugs–$500 First Offense; $2,000 Second Offense

Posted on May 23, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. May 23, 2017:

The bill banning sale and possession of synthetics drugs was passed May 8 by the Board of Legislators and signed by the County Executive last week.

The law identifies the most common hallucinogenic substances found in products, commonly known as K2, fake weed and synthetic marijuana, and imposes civil penalties of $500 for the first offense and $2,000 for a second offense.

Synthetic drugs are paricularly dangerous because they are often marketed over the counter to teenagers and people living in poorer communities as tobacco, herbs, incense, spice, and potpourri, yet contain hallucinogenic chemicals, substances and agents that are made in laboratories to mimic the active ingredients of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs.

In recent years, K2 has been packaged as a number of brand names such as Spice, Red Giant, Smacked,iBlown, Trippy, and Green Giant Scooby Snax.

The new law is being implemented by amending the “Consumer Protection Code” to restrict the sale and possession of synthetic drugs. It has support from public safety, health professionals and bi-partisan support from lawmakers.

County Executive Astorino said:”Synthetic drugs are cheap, potent,available and even market as a safe alternative to drugs. We know these chemically-concocted drugs pose a serious threat to our communities and that we must face this challenge head-on,”

Legislator David Tubiolo, Yonkers, Co-sponsor with John Testa, Peekskill,and Virginia Perez, Yonkers said “Synthetic marijuana is a series and dangerous problem from a public health and law enforcement perspective. Because of the inconsistent nature of the chemical compounds used, it is impossible to predict how the drug will affect the user and how severe those effects might be.

“This is especially dangerous for our kids who are the prime target of synthetic drug suppliers. The drug is generally marketed in brightly colored packages featuring familiar cartoon characters. There could not be a more innocent looking product that hides potentially deadly effects.”

Legislator Virginia Perez added: “In committee hearings, we learned from County and local police that their officers have frequent interactions with individuals under the influence of synthetic marijuan who were ‘zombie-like,’ irrational, violent or suicidal. They also disproportionately among young teens and in low-income areas. This legislation gives law enforcement agencies a very important tool in dealing with synthetic drugs.”

Legislator John Testa, a public school teacher noted “as a public high school teacher, I can see that the danger and accressibility of these synthetic drugs poses a threat to our youth that we must address now. This law not only provides stiffer penalties including fines and possible jail time, it expands the definition of synthetic drugs which makes it harder for the producers and dealers to circumvent the law.”

Haitians on Temporary Protected Status Should be Extended More than 6 Months

Posted on May 22, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR IMMIGRANT INTELLIGENCER. From the 32BJ SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION. MAY 22, 2017

The following statement on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the U.S. can be attributed to Hector Figueroa President of 32BJ SEIU:

Granting TPS extension to the 50,000 hardworking, law-abiding Haitian already living peaceful and productive lives among us is the right thing to do for humanitarian and national security reasons.

There’s strong bipartisan and community support to extend TPS beyond the limited 6 month period announced today to avoid destabilizing the families and communities built by Haitian men and women across the United States — families and communities that contribute not only to the U.S. economy but to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Haiti is still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Mathew and will need more time to recover. The U.N. estimates at least 1.4 million Haitians are now in need of urgent assistance as clean water, food, and medicine are in short supply, and a cholera outbreak, described as the worst epidemic of cholera in recent history, is still ongoing.

Haitian TPS holders contribute $280 million to the U.S. GDP and $42 million to Social Security and to Medicare each year. More than 1 in 5 Haitian TPS holders are parents of US-born American children.

They are hardworking people making substantial contributions to our country and keeping Haiti as stable as possible as the country rebuilds. According to a February 2016 report, remittances to Haiti exceeded $2 billion –22.7 percent of Haiti’s GDP.

Extending TPS for Haitian and Central Americans—who will also see their temporary status expire in January—is not only a response to our commitment to our traditions and values as a welcoming country, it’s in our national interest.

DRAGON COASTER RIDES AGAIN! COUNTY EXECUTIVE ASTORINO OPENS PLAYLAND. PROMISES 5 NEW RIDES IN 2 YEARS. LEGISLATOR PARKER SAYS POOL WILL BE RETAINED AND STANDARD AMUSEMENTS ACCEPTS THAT.WILL LOCATE CATERING FACILITY ELSEWHERE IN PARK

Posted on May 21, 2017 by John Bailey

WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE ROBERT P. ASTORINO ARRIVES ON RECONDITIONED 1927 PLAYLAND FIRE TRUCK TO BEGIN THE PLAYLAND OPENING DAY RIBBON CUTTING SATURDAY

WPCNR PLAYLAND GO-ROUND. By John F. Bailey.May 21, 2017:

The County Executive is introduced by Kathleen O’Connor, Deputy Commissioner of Recreation and Parks. Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett is at left. Mr. Astorino, speaking for about a minute, said today marked the start of the Playland of the Future,in two years five new rides were going to be installed by the county partner, Standard Amusements, which was not represented on the dais. On display was the preliminary plan for development of the park (shown in last picture)

CROWD SURGES IN TO ENJOY THE RIDES AS COUNTY EXECUTIVE ASTORINO COMPLETES CUTTING THE RIBBON TO OPEN THE 2017 SEASON. Hundreds of paying customers showed up under threatening skies for the opening, including busloads and groups of invited guests.

County Legislator Kay Parker told WPCNR the timetable for Standard Amusements and its first payment to the county to accept the management of the Park, (a $60 MILLION upgrade with Standard investing $30 Million and the County, $30 Million) in partnership with Westchester County is December 31. She noted that the pool/ catering facility matter Ms. Parker told WPCNR that Standard Amusements informed the County Parks Recreation Committee May 1 that the Standard was agreeable to moving the planned catering facility Standard wants to build to another location in the park, and would not object to the county keeping the pool. Parker said the only hurdle left holding up Standard Amusements concluding accepting the agreement with the County to clear before concluding the Standard Amusements-Westchester County partnership is the City of Rye possible of appeal of the court decision denying the city “standing,” to determine final alterations to the park. Parker told WPCNR she did not know at this time whether City of Rye was preparing an appeal. She said Rye had six months to file. She said the County Legislature had allocated $10 Million to refurbish the Playland pool.

Squeals and shrieks and the roar of steel on steel drifted across the Playland landscape as the 1929 Dragon Coaster thrilled a new generation of thrill-seekers.

THE PLAYLAND EXPRESS AT KIDDIELAND was packed as WPCNR’s favorite ride was back on schedule.