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)

Police Press on to Binding Arbitration on any New Contract with City

Posted on April 22, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. April 22, 2013:

The President of the White Plains Police Benevolent Association told the CitizeNetReport today that the police union, currently without a contract with the city since 2009-10, entered binding arbitration with the City of White Plains last Friday.

Officer Robert Riley told WPCNR that the union presented their positions to the arbitrator Friday, and they would have two more meetings, after which the arbitrator would present his or her findings that the city and the police would have to abide by.

Riley said the union chose to take their chances in arbitration rather than forgo pay increases voluntarily in contract years 2009-10 and 2010-11 as they White Plains Professional Firefighters chose to do last week.

The firefighters union, according to its President, Joseph Carrier approved a five year contract last week.

Mathew Anthony Solano, 1916-2013

Posted on April 21, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR MILESTONES. From Mary Ann Solano. April 21, 2013:

My Dad is Matthew Anthony Solano. He was born a full term twin at 2 pounds in Mount Vernon, New York on February 18, 1916. He grew in Mount Vernon and received a college scholarship for art. His step father would not allow such frivolity and sent him to work instead.

Following his marriage to my beautiful Irish mother,Catherine Patricia McCauley,who he met at work, and two sons later (Matthew Anthony Junior and Edward John), my dad lost his right hand in a printing press machine. He was to tell me many years later that two weeks after his accident a young woman at the plant lost her hand as well. 

My grandmother is quoted as saying, “you had four hands between you and now you have three!” My then family moved to Queens Village where they owned & operated the corner stationary store, “Matty’s Candy Store” on the corner of Springfield Blvd. where my younger sister Kathryn Ellen and I were born. My mother worked evenings as a waitress as well as in the store. She washed all our clothes by hand and we enjoyed a home cooked meal every evening, except Mondays when my Dad took my sister and I to the local diner for a treat.

Although there were arguments about what words were acceptable in scrabble or which car was more practical, I never heard my mother or my father complain about life. 

We moved to Patchogue, Long Island and upon my mother’s passing my Dad moved to Franklin Avenue in White Plains. He could be seen at various city events, shopping, watching the buildings rise in White Plains and enjoying the people and life here in the city. The Senior Center may remember a police escort to accompany my Dad home from Atlantic City to meet the bus (he thought it was an overnight trip) or the Police Chief warning seniors not to allow strangers to accompany them to their residences, (my Dad at 86 years overpowered someone on his doorstep who dared this ruse).

Last year his health necessitated a move to Ridgefield Nursing Facility where he passed on Saturday morning at 97 years. He referred to his residence as a hotel and treated that professional staff accordingly. He is survived by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I know that Kenny and, Dillon Jefferies, Peter and Alice Dobrie will carry his inspiration and his gifts.

As for me, I imagine he and my mother slipping away as they did on rare evenings from the store in Queens to an adventure away in Coney Island, their idea of heaven. God bless you, Dad.

White Plains Firemen Settle Contract Before Arbitration Begins. 2% Raises Next 2

Posted on April 21, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR LABOR NEWS. April 20, 2013:

The President of the White Plains Professional Firefighters, Joseph Carrier announced to the Journal News in the Sunday edition that the firefighters without a contract for two and a half years have settled with the city on a five year contract.

Carrier told The Journal News the union settled for no raises in the contract years 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2% raises in the current year, 2012-13, and 2% raises in 2013-14, 2014-15. Carrier told the newspaper in an article by Reporter Richard Liebson firefighters active and retired also agreed to pay 15% of their health care insurance

The deal came, according to Liebson just before arbitration between the city and the union was about to begin.

The White Plains Police union has yet to settle.

Washington To WP Work on Getting More Minority Students Into Advanced Courses

Posted on April 19, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. Special to WPCNR From the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. April 19, 2013:

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Thursday that it has entered into a resolution agreement with the White Plains, N.Y., Public Schools. The agreement commits the district to ensuring that all students, including African American, Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) students, are provided with equal opportunity and equal access to challenging classes and programs that will put students on a pathway for success in college and careers.

(Editor’s note: At no time before yesterday did the Board of Education ever announce publicly the district was under scrutiny by the Office of Civil Rights. Several Board members recently have made public statements about the need to focus on the brighter students in the district as well as those not doing as well.)

Under the agreement, the district will, as necessary:

Expand criteria to determine eligibility and selection for enrollment in programs and courses.
Expand student, parent, and community outreach about the available courses and programs; and
Make improvements to the academic counseling services at the middle and high school levels and training for relevant district and school site administrators and personnel.

These changes will be based on recommendations from an expert consultant, feedback from students, parents and staff, and a comprehensive self-assessment.

“Every student, regardless of his or her race, color, or national origin, must have an equal opportunity to participate in rigorous programs and courses that will put them on the right track toward being ready for college and careers,” said Seth Galanter, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. “I applaud the steps the White Plains Public Schools have agreed to take to help ensure their compliance with Title VI.”

OCR initiated a compliance review at White Plains under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to assess whether the district discriminated against minority students by establishing and implementing policies and procedures that resulted in their exclusion from enrichment programs, advanced/honors courses and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Because the district begins identifying students for its enrichment program as early as the end of second grade, it is critical that the process, criteria and communication about entry to the enrichment program ensure an equal opportunity for all students to access and participate in the program. These types of programs frequently serve as a path to advanced/honors courses and AP courses at the high school level. African American, Hispanic and ELL students had disproportionately lower enrollment in all those program and courses.

The district worked closely with OCR and voluntarily entered into a resolution agreement prior to the completion of the investigation.

As a result, OCR made no findings on lack of compliance. The office’s investigation revealed, however, that a disproportionately low number of minority students were participating in the district’s high school Honors and AP high school courses and in earlier enrichment programs and advanced courses at the elementary and middle school levels.

For example, during school year 2011-2012, African American students represented 18 percent of the high school student enrollment, but less than 10 percent (37 of 395 students), of the Honors and AP enrollment.

That same year, Hispanic students represented 47 percent of the high school student enrollment, but only 31 percent (122 of 395) of the Honors and AP enrollment; and ELL students represented 9 percent of the high school enrollment, but only 3 percent (10 of 395) of the Honors and AP enrollment. If minority students were provided equal opportunities to participate in enrichment programs in their earlier years, they would have been more likely to participate in Honors and AP classes proportionate to their high school enrollment; over 100 additional minority students would have been enrolled in Honors and AP.

A copy of the resolution letter is posted at: http://www2.ed.gov/documents/press-releases/white-plains-school-district-letter.doc, and the agreement at: http://www2.ed.gov/documents/press-releases/white-plains-school-district-resolution.doc.

OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and promote educational excellence throughout the nation through the vigorous enforcement of civil rights. OCR is responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination by educational institutions on the basis of disability, race, color, national origin, sex, and age, as well as the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act of 2001.

For more information about the Office for Civil Rights, see http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html. For details on how OCR handles civil rights cases, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintprocess.html.