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)

WHITE PLAINS WEEK–THIS WEEK—-SCORCHING NOW ON THE NET

Posted on July 19, 2013 by John Bailey

NEWS WAVE ENGULFS WHITE PLAINS

PETER KATZ, JIM BENEROFE, and Yours Truly

JOHN BAILEY

RAW RATIONAL RELATIVE!

IF YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT IT, WE’RE TELLING YOU ALL ABOUT IT

WESTCHESTER’S NEWS SCORCHERS FOR 12 YEARS

THE POLICE SIDE OF THE WHITE PLAINS OVERTIME BALOON

THE FEDERAL COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF THE REPRESSED INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT EVALUATION OF WP POLICE APPROACHES TO THE MENTALLY IN KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN $21 MILLION WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT..

PETER KATZ ON WHAT THE TRAYVON MARTIN KILLING REALLY SAYS ABOUT RACE

HUD DOES NOT GIVE RISING CITIES GRANTS TO WESTCHESTER, ROCKLAND AND PUTNAM COUNTIES–AND DOES NOT EXPLAIN WHY.

COUNTY AIRPORT FUTURE QUIET ON EXPANSION. SHOULD IT HUB IT UP? COULD WE JUST CUT DOWN THE RUNWAY THREATENING TREES, PLEASE?

WHY IS WP SALES TAX $$ DEAD IN WATER WHEN THE COUNTY UP 25% IN SIX MONTHS?

A NEW FEATURE: SPANNING WHITE PLAINS DEBUTS

SEE THE NEWS PROGRAM THAT LIFTS YOU OUT OF YOUR CHAIR

INSTANTLY AT

www.whiteplainsweek.com

Governor Announces $750 Million in HUD MONEY TO REBUILD 102 NY COMMUNITIES. HUD EXCLUDES WESTCHESTER,PUTNAM, ROCKLAND

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. By John F. Bailey. July 18., 2013 UPDATED 5:40 P.M UPDATED 1:45 a.m. July 19, 2013 UPDATED 12:20 A.M., E.D.T. July 20, 2013

Governor Andrew Cuomo Thursday launched the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, an initiative designed by the State following the natural disasters over the past two years that the governor says “will empower localities to develop and implement recovery plans after the damage done by the devastating natural disasters to hit our state over the past two years,” the Governor said. He made the announcement with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.

The Governor’s Press Release may be read at

http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/07182013-ny-rising-communities

In the list of 102 communities named to receive aid in the release, there is no community from Westchester County listed. Robert P.Astorino, the Westchester County Executive is not quoted in the release among the 24 officials who appear.

The press release issued at 1:30 P.M. Thursday.

Inexplicably, Westchester County Communications personnel and an elected state representatives’ offices told WPCNR they were unaware of the release. Usually everyone who is anyone receives a Governor Andrew Cuomo News Release. The key personnel I talked to were dumbfounded when WPCNR called to ask those offices if it was true Westchester was not going to receive a Rising Grant

The Westchester County Department of Communications was unaware of the news release until WPCNR sent the Department a copy. At this time on Friday evening, the county AND its County Executive Robert P. Astorino has not made a statement on not one dollar from this program being awarded to a Westchester County Community.

The reason according to a legislative source speaking not for attribution, but familiar with the development of legislation: Westchester County did not suffer enough damage in proportion to its population

This is not to leave the impression the counties have not received any FEMA aid.

To date Westchester County, according to Congresswoman Nita Lowey Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) July 2, “announced that local governments in Westchester and Rockland Counties have received $35,338,879 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance grants to help with the cost of their response to Sandy.”

Lowey wrote:”Communities in Rockland have received $8,927,889 in FEMA Public Assistance grants. Communities in Westchester County have received $26,410,990. Local governments continue to apply for funding, and additional grants are expected in the coming months.”

The Governor’s Albany Press Office said they would get back to WPCNR to confirm or to verify that Westchester County (no connection, perhaps, but the County is in dispute with the Department of Housing and Urban Development over the design and implementation of a friendly affordable housing zoning policy for alleged affordable housing deficient communities), would be receiving funds or would not.

So far the Governor’s Press Office has not gotten back to WPCNR. It is undetermined yet whether Westchester would receive such RISING COMMUNITIES funds down the road.

The Cuomo release today in no way explicitly indicates the county will (receive funds as part of this program).

A source, speaking on background said the program announced today though is not new, as the Governor’s press release treats it. It enhances the Community Reconstruction Zones program announced in April in a press release you can read at

http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/04262013cuomo-reconstruction-federal-disaster-aid

The Governor’s New York Rising Communities is an official confirmation or approval, if you will of aid amounts requested in the Community Reconstruction Zones April press release. The release from the Governor in April announced the block grants 102 communities were applying for at the time after Federal Supplemental Aid was signed into law by the President this year. Amounts the Governor’s press release announced today were consistent with the funds asked for in the April press release, the source explained.

Asked why Westchester did not get any aid, my contact said FEMA decided on the amounts based on a population proportionate to damage formula…. community by community.This is the reason why Westchester,Putnam, and Rockland got no new funds.(yet, anyway)–not enough damage in proportion to the population…

The April press release cited by my contact, reads:

The amounts ultimately allocated will be based on damage assessed by FEMA and the population and will be awarded for projects and activities approved by HUD once the community’s plan is complete and meets established criteria…

The source enlightening WPCNR has no knowledge at this time of whether the Governor is going to give some other aid to Westchester, Rickland and Putnam.

WPCNR will advise as to whether there is any clarification that Westchester will be receiving storm recovery aid, as they had been promised several weeks ago and that the housing dispute would not affect it.

WPCNR also asked the state and the County Department of Communications if Westchester had advised the state or the state has decided Westchester had tidied up the county damage sufficiently with previous aid so as to not need any of this new aid.

Neither has commented.

NYS Thruway Mass Transit Task Force Hearing in WP Library Postponed Friday. Too Many Members on Vacation

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. From the New York State Thruway Authority. July 18, 2013 UPDATED 6:10 P.M.:

The much-ballyhooed Mass Transit Task Force Public Hearing that was to be held Friday morning in White Plains has been postponed by the New York State Thruway. No new date has been set.

Brian Connybeare, spokesman for the New New York Bridge told WPCNR “The meeting was postponed due to the number of MTTF members who are away on summer vacation. We are now polling the members for the best date that will work for the majority of members in August.”

City of White Plains Ordered to Release Independent Report on How WP Police Handle Mentally ill Individuals by Federal Court

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. Special to WPCNR from Nancy King. July 18, 2013:

The family of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. were back in Federal Court in White Plains on Wednesday. Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. asked the Federal Court to release an independent report commissioned by the City of White Plains that outlines how the White Plains Department of Public Safety, handles mentally ill individuals

Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was shot to death by the White Plains Police Department back in 2011 in an incident that developed after his Medic-Alert device went off in error. At the time of the incident, Mr. Chamberlain became more and more agitated refusing to comply with the police request to exit his apartment. He was shot and killed when it was alleged that he lunged at police officers while holding a large knife.

Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. who has a $21 million dollar wrongful death suit filed against the City of White Plains, has repeatedly requested that the White Plains Department of Public Safety make public their Standard Operating Procedures concerning citizens who are mentally disturbed.

While White Plains didn’t feel that this SOP was to be shared with the public, a Federal Judge agreed with the family and ordered it to be turned over to them and their attorneys.

The Police Officers involved in that 2011 shooting death were cleared of all charges by a Westchester Grand Jury. Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. hopes that the release of this SOP will prevent this from happening again.

New Rochelle Police also fatally shot a mentally disturbed individual in his apartment earlier this year. At this time, it is unclear whether the New Rochelle Police Department will be releasing their Standard Operating Procedures when dealing with the mentally disturbed.