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)

Food Bank Asks for Donations to Furnish Thanksgiving Turkeys for 5,000 Families

Posted on October 23, 2014 by John Bailey

The Food Bank for Westchester announced that this year’s goal is to raise the funds necessary to provide 5,000 Thanksgiving turkeys for families in need. Pictured from left, Westchester Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett; Arlene Putterman, Manager, Public & Community Relations at Stop & Shop; Greg W; Ellen Lynch, Executive Director at Food Bank for Westchester; Jeanne Blum, Executive Director at Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless; Food Bank board chairman Rick Rakow ; and Westchester County Legislator Michael Smith.

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Food Bank for Westchester. October 23, 2014:

The Food Bank for Westchester, which operates the county’s largest food collection and emergency distribution network, kicked-off its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive yesterday. At the kick-off held at the Food Bank’s Elmsford distribution warehouse it was announced that this year’s goal is to raise the funds necessary to provide 5,000 turkeys for families in need.

In 2013 the Food Bank served 6,204,101 meals to Westchester County residents. Based in Elmsford, NY, the Food Bank is located in a 37,000sf warehouse and is home to Westchester’s largest refrigerator and freezer.

To donate to the Food Bank for Westchester’s Turkey Drive, please visit www.foodbankforwestchester.org or text FB4W to 88500.

A donation of just $25 provides turkeys for two families. With approximately 200,000 Westchester residents hungry or at risk of being hungry, there is a significant need for meals this holiday season. Last year the Food Bank exceeded its fund raising goal and was able to provide more than 4,000 turkeys.

“As a community, it is important that we collect as many donations as possible to help out local families and to ensure a memorable Thanksgiving for those who would otherwise go without,” said Ellen Lynch, Food Bank Executive Director. “Thanks to everyone who supports our holiday turkey drive, a huge burden is lifted off these families’ shoulders.”

She said the Food Bank is experiencing an unprecedented demand for its services. “The need is real. However, even though the campaign just started, it’s off to a good start. We have already brought in three truckloads of turkeys this year which is approximately 120,000 lbs.”

The need for more turkeys in part is a result of an increase in the number of Food Bank member agencies over the last year, and that more community and faith-based organizations are responding to the increased needs of their local communities. At the same time, the Food bank is servicing non-member agencies with its Kraft Mobile Food Pantry. The Mobile Pantry is a specialized 36-foot beverage-style truck that functions as a “market on wheels” for communities where residents do not have easy access to fresh vegetables, meat and dairy products.

“On Thanksgiving, most families sit down for a family feast. But there are thousands of people in our county who face a daily struggle to put just a little food on the table,” said Food Bank board chairman Rick Rakow. “The contributions we receive enable us to provide turkeys and all other ingredients for a nutritious holiday meal to help make it a happy Thanksgiving for all.”

Anne Frank’s Stepsister to Speak October 28

Posted on October 22, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. October 28, 2014:

On Tuesday, October 28, Mrs. Eva Schloss will share her experiences as the childhood friend and step sister of Anne Frank, including accounts of the publishing of Anne’s famed diary. The presentation will take place at the Double Tree in Tarrytown at 7:30pm and will be suitable for teenagers. Families of all faiths are invited to attend.

This is a special opportunity to hear a first-hand account from someone whose life intersected with one of the most compelling figures in our history and comes at a time when religious extremism has re-emerged as a major threat to world peace. Holocaust survivors from all over Westchester have been invited and will be recognized in what is expected to be one of the largest events of its kind and most significant, as the passage of time claims the remaining witnesses to one of the worst crimes of the 20th century.

The Westchester Jewish Council has joined with Chabad Houses of Westchester as sponsors of the event. Tickets are available at www.annefrankevent.com.

In 1938, Germany invaded Austria, causing many Jewish families to flee Austria to avoid persecution. Among the emigrants was 8-year old Eva Geiringer, who with her mother, brother, and father moved first to Belgium and then to Holland, where one of her neighbors was a German Jewish girl of the same age.

The two girls became friends and playmates (though, as Eva would say many years later, the girl was “much more grown-up and mature than me”). They passed the time by skipping, playing hopscotch and marbles, and drinking lemonade that the girl’s mother prepared.

Ultimately, both girls and their families were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Later they would become step sisters.

Eva survived her concentration camp experience and made her way to England, where sheMarried Zvi Schloss and raised three daughters. She worked as a studio photographer and ran an antique shop.

Her step sister did not survive Auschwitz, but kept a diary that did. Her name was Anne Frank. It became one of the most recognizable accounts of the holocaust, taught in schools all over the world.

Since 1985, Eva Schloss has devoted herself to holocaust education and global peace. She has recounted her wartime experiences in more than one thousand speaking engagements. She has written two books and has had a play written about her life. In 1999 Eva signed the Anne Frank Peace Declaration along with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the niece of Raul Wallenberg, a legendary figure who rescued thousands of Jews in Budapest.

Eva joins many courageous individuals who work tirelessly to end the violence and bigotry that continue to plague our world. Eva’s story is sensational and difficult to imagine, yet her insightful message reminds us that life is precious and fragile, that the creative spirit is stronger than fear, that the power of good is immeasurable, and that love makes a difference.

Ticket prices are $36 at the door, $30 in advance and $15 for students. A VIP package featuring a private reception with Eva Schloss prior to the event is also available.

Reasons Why White Plains Sales Tax Receipts Continue Soft

Posted on October 22, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. October 22, 2014:

Alex Philippidis, former Co-Host of White Plains Week and national internet reporter, expert on Westchester County business trends, reacts to First Quarter Sales Tax Receipts Results in White Plains

“Howdy from White Plains, NY, where all those summer street festivals didn’t raise sales tax collections; indeed they were down 1.14% from a year ago, while NY’s Westchester County as a whole rose 2.49% year-over-year, FB follower (& former TV co-host) John Bailey reports. See if your guesses/reasons why match up with mine:

* Continuing reputation of WP parking fee$ and fine$, esp. among my out-of-town friends & colleagues.

* More downtown store & restaurant closings since the winter.

* “The new normal” — too many people making le$$, spending le$$ in stores, eating out le$$

* “Westchester’s Ridge Hill” in Yonkers — That retail project is comparable to The Westchester mall, down to the pricey parking, but shoppers like to visit what’s new, & it does lots of advertising on regional radio to boot.

http://whiteplainscnr.com/…/city-sales-tax-receipts-stagna…/

Real Estate Sales Continue Sluggish in third Quarter of 2014

Posted on October 20, 2014 by John Bailey

WPCNR REALTY REALITY. From the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors. October 20, 2014:

Westchester, the largest county in the MLS region, posted a sales decrease of 2.7%, to 2,863 units. Rockland followed closely with a 2.4% decrease. In Orange County there was barely any change at all, a decrease of only 0.3%. Putnam’s sales actually increased by 3.1%, although that was measured against a small base of a few hundred units

Generally, this slightly diminished but still very strong level of closed real estate transactions followed upon listing and marketing activity that took place during the spring and early summer months. The external conditions for real estate were good then. For example, mortgage interest rates remained consistently low and affordable; the average rate for a 30-year conventional loan ranged mostly between 4.4% and 4.2% throughout the period.

Unemployment – a low rate of which is a confidence builder, especially for first-time buyers – continued its downward path in the lower Hudson region, with all four counties lower by nearly a percentage point or more from 2013.

Rockland and Putnam, with August unemployment rates of 5.1% and 4.8% respectively, are at a level that many economists deem to be full employment. The performance of the stock market is another contributor to buyer confidence, even if the buyers are not invested in same. During the spring and summer months the Dow Jones Industrial Average steadliy increased from 16,000 to 17,000.

Year to date (Jan.-Sep.) sales in all categories amounted to 10,180 units, a decrease of 3.5% from the same period in 2013. If fourth quarter activity mirrors the prior three quarters, 2014 sales will amount to about 13,300 units and rank 2014 as the second best year since 2008.

Prices are pulling out of recession, too, with three of the four counties posting increases in most categories. For the third quarter, the median¹ sale price of a single family house in Westchester was $682,500, up by 4.7% over 2013. The median for condominiums, $375,000, was 5.5% higher. In Rockland, the median house was $415,000, up by 2.0%, whereas condominium prices decreased by11.8% to a $222,500 median; the decrease was against a small base of 127 sales, however.