WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From New York City Police Department. August 2, 2013:
The NYPD is asking the public to advise them if they know of the whereabouts of former Bleakley, Platt & Schmidt paralegal, Dana Lauren Bonanno, reported missing from her Greenpoint, Brooklyn apartment since July 22. The official information:![missing-person-dana-bonanno-360x225[1]](https://whiteplainscnr.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/missing-person-dana-bonanno-360x2251.png)
WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION NEWS. From the New York State Thruway Authority. July 31, 2013:
The Thruway Authority issued this follow-up statement today: “The U.S. Coast Guard made it clear that the lights on the barge met all requirements and were visible for one nautical mile but, as an added precaution, extra lights were added immediately following this tragedy because we wanted to go above and beyond to try and prevent something like this from happening again,” according to Dan Weiller, Thruway Authority Spokesman.
Approximately 2 dozen barges of varying sizes are currently in the Hudson River as part of the project but the exact number changes almost daily. More are scheduled to arrive shortly to begin dredging.
—After the incident after the Piermont barge crash last Friday, killing two passengers on a speed boat and injuring four others, dozens of extra LED solar/battery powered lights were added to all barges, moorings and other vessels as a precaution above and beyond US Coast Guard requirements
—At night the barges are in the fixed mooring locations, during the day they can be moved to get construction materials/supplies stored on them to active work areas
WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey, July 31, 2013:
THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS will audit cable franchise operators in the city, agreeing to authorize spending $35,000 to hire an independent audit firm with experience examingng cable operations, to audit Verizon Fios and Cablevision for the last five years of operations in the city. The new effort was presented to the Common Council at a Special Meeting Monday night.
John Callahan the city Corporation Counsel told WPCNR the effort is to confirm that Verizon and Cablevision are paying all the money they should on all the revenue streams they are supposed to be paying their franchise fees on.
Callahan said that if the audit found Verizon and Cablevision are earning less, the city might have to pay a refund. However that is not likely. towns in the county have found in recent audits that they were owed amounts of approximately a million dollars by cable companies after similar audits.
The cable business has been losing share to new media.
Verizon has taken away about 4,000 subscribers from Verizon, which has 15,800, down about 4 to 5,000 from five years ago when Verizon came in. And the cable business is losing share to the new media.
Callahan, asked about the Public Education Grants fees that cablevision has not paid in six years, told WPCNR the city is negotiating with Cablevision on this matter. Estimates are the lack of an agreement on the PEG fee has been costing the city cable television operation $220,000 a year for 9 years.
Establishing regular PEG payments again with Cablevision is critical for the city to pay for the $1.5 to $2 million move to the White Plains Public Library some day. They have no money to do that yet, unless other revenues are diverted to the reinvention of White Plains Public Access TV to the library.
WPCNR EPITAPH. Statement from the New York State Thruway Authority. July 28, 2013:
According to Gannett reports, the speedboat crash Friday evening into a close-to–the-water construction barge anchored off the south side of the present Tappan Zee Bridge, claimed the life of Lindsey Stewart, 30, of fiancee of Brian Bond, also a passenger. Mr. Bond was seriously injured. WPCNR notes Mr. Bond is a teacher at White Plains Mamaroneck Avenue Elementrary School.
A third person, Mark Lennon, was still missing and presumed dead. The man piloting the boat, JoJo John was being treated for injuries and has been charged by authorities, with vehicular manslaughter, three counts of vehicular assault.
The boat departed Piermont, a village on thr western Hudson River shore, south of the Tappan Zee Bridge at approximately 11 P.M., and crashed into a barge south of the bridge throwing passengers of the boat into the water apparently.
The New York State Thruway Authority issued this statement Saturday on the crash into its contractors’ barge, essential denying any possible negligence in lighting the barge and making it visible to mariners at night:
“While the Rockland County Sheriff, N.Y. State Police and U.S. Coast Guard continue to investigate this tragic incident, the New York State Thruway Authority is conducting its own review of safety procedures on the Hudson River as part of the New NY Bridge Project. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time.”
“At this point, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) has reported to the Thruway Authority that all Coast Guard lighting requirements were met and that the barges were properly lit Friday night. All lighting was checked Saturday morning and is fully operational at all barge locations associated with the project.
Thruway and TZC have worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard to determine approved locations for the barges and appropriate information has been provided to be included in Notices to Mariners.
Impact pile driving originally scheduled for today (Saturday) has been temporarily suspended out of respect for the victims and to accommodate the investigation.”