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KEYS TO SAFE DRIVING WHEN YOU’RE “DRIVING UP“

A series of five free programs sponsored by the County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) will take place during Older Driver Safety Week this December 5-9.   The programs are presented by DSPS’ Older Driver Coalition and will offer tools, tips and techniques that older drivers can use to be on the road as safely as possible for as long as possible. The programs will also explore when it is time to stop driving and what alternative transportation services are available when seniors decide to relinquish their keys. Each session will cover similar material, registration is suggested but walk-ins are welcome.SMART Commute staff from Westchester County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW/T) will be at each session to help seniors interested in signing up for the MTA Reduced-Fare MetroCard. For more information about the Older Driver Coalition and the help it offers year-round to seniors and their families, contact Beverly Carter, DSPS’ liaison to the coalition, at bdc1@westchestergov.com or (914) 813-6188.  The dates, times and locations for the programs are: Monday, Dec. 5 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.  Contact: Noreen O’Driscoll Albert A. Capellini Community Cultural Center 1974 Commerce Street, Room 113, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Phone: (914) 962-7447 ​Tuesday, Dec. 6 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Contact: Anne Russak   James Harmon Community Center 44 Main Street, Hastings on Hudson, NY 10706 Phone: (914) 478-2380 ext. 644 Wednesday, Dec. 7 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Contact: Debbie Klein Joseph G. Caputo Community Center 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562 Phone: (914) 762-1350 Thursday, Dec. 8 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Contact: Phillis Maucieri New Rochelle Office of the Aging 94 Davis Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10805 Phone: (914) 235-2363 Friday, Dec. 9 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Contact: Arlene Saliman Radio station WVOX Your Community in Action – 1460 AM dial Phone: (914) 636-0110 www.wvox.com en Español“Claves para una Conducción Segura” (“Keys to Safe Driving”), una serie de cinco programas gratuitos patrocinados por el Departamento de Programas y Servicios para Personas Mayores (Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) del Condado, se llevará a cabo durante la Semana de la Seguridad de los Conductores Mayores del 5 al 9 de diciembre.Los programas son presentados por la Coalición de Conductores Mayores de DSPS y ofrecerán herramientas, consejos y técnicas que los conductores mayores pueden usar para estar en la carretera con la mayor seguridad posible durante el mayor tiempo posible. Los programas también explorarán cuándo es el momento de dejar de conducir y qué servicios de transporte alternativos están disponibles cuando las personas mayores deciden entregar sus llaves.Cada sesión cubrirá material similar, se recomienda registrarse, pero se aceptan visitas sin cita previa.El personal de SMART Commute del Departamento de Obras Públicas y Transporte Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW/T) del Condado de Westchester estará presente en cada sesión para ayudar a las personas mayores interesadas en inscribirse en la MetroCard de Tarifa-Reducida de la MTA.Para obtener más información sobre Older Driver Coalition y la ayuda que ofrece durante todo el año a las personas mayores y sus familias, comuníquese con Beverly Carter, enlace de DSPS con la coalición, en bdc1@westchestergov.com o (914) 813-6188. Las fechas, horarios y lugares de los programas son:lunes, 5 de diciembre 11:45 a.m. a 12:45 p.m. Contacto: Noreen O’Driscoll Albert A. Capellini Community Cultural Center 1974 Commerce Street, Sala 113, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Teléfono: (914) 962-7447 ​ martes, 6 de diciembre 12:30 p.m. a 1:30 p.m. Contacto: Anne Russak   James Harmon Community Center 44 Main Street, Hastings on Hudson, Nueva York 10706 Teléfono: (914) 478-2380 ext. 644 miércoles, 7 de diciembre 11:15 a.m. a 12:00 p.m. Contacto: Debbie Klein Joseph G. Caputo Community Center 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562 Teléfono: (914) 762-1350 jueves, 8 de diciembre 1:00 p.m. a 2:00 p.m. Contacto: Phillis Maucieri Oficina de la Tercera Edad de New Rochelle 94 Davis Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10805 Teléfono: (914) 235-2363 viernes, 9 de diciembre 1:00 p.m. a 2:00 p.m. Contacto: Arlene Saliman Estación de Radio WVOX Tu Comunidad en acción – 1460 AM marcar Teléfono: (914) 636-0110 www.wvox.com

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Ex-Director of Food Services for Hempstead Public Schools Steered Contracts to Co-Defendant in Exchange for Kickbacks

WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. November 30, 2022:

Tuesday, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Sharon Gardner, the former Director of Food Services for the Hempstead Union Free School District (“HUFSD”), pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with her participation in a kickback scheme. 

Gardner’s co-defendant, Maria Caliendo, the owner of food service providers Smart Starts NY, Inc. (“Smart Starts”) and Prince Umberto’s restaurant in Franklin Square, previously pleaded guilty on October 27, 2022 to the same offense and is awaiting sentencing. 

Tuesday’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert.  When sentenced, the defendants each face up to 20 years in prison.  As part of their respective pleas, Gardner has agreed to forfeit approximately $120,000 and Caliendo has agreed to forfeit approximately $160,000.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Bethanne M. Dinkins, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG); Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General, Eastern Regional Office; Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York; Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney; and Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, announced the guilty plea.

“Gardner abused her position of trust as a school official in order to enrich herself with kickbacks she used to pay for overseas vacations and home furnishings.  Now she will face the consequences for her greed,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “This Office will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute corrupt officials who illegally profit from our public institutions.” 

“As today’s guilty plea demonstrates, the defendant exploited her role in order to take advantage of the taxpayers for her own personal enrichment.  The FBI and our Law Enforcement partners are committed to fighting public corruption and ensuring that those officials who abuse the trust placed in them are held accountable for their actions in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

USDA-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Dinkins stated, “The School Breakfast Program (SBP) was created to provide food and nutrition to those who truly need this assistance. Those who are involved in fraud and abuse of USDA feeding programs will be investigated by our office to the fullest extent.  This joint investigation identified individuals who sought to profit from the SBP through illegal schemes. The USDA Office of Inspector General will continue to dedicate investigative resources, working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, in order to protect the integrity of these programs and bring to justice those who commit fraud.”

“I am proud of the work of OIG Special Agents and our law enforcement partners in holding Ms. Gardner accountable for her criminal actions,” stated DOE-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Harris.  “We will continue to aggressively pursue those who misappropriate federal funds for their own selfish purposes.  America’s students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.”

“This defendant leveraged her power as a Hempstead School District official to line her own pockets and those of her co-defendant for nearly two years,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly.

 “Gardner orchestrated the scheme, shirking her responsibilities to follow a legitimate bidding process and handing over the contract to Maria Caliendo, a local restaurant owner who had previously hosted Gardner’s holiday parties. Public funds are precious and finite. Individuals who exploit their positions to access those funds for their own financial gain will be found and prosecuted. I thank our law enforcement partners for their diligent work ensuring these defendants are now held accountable for their crimes.”

“Gardner exploited her position and betrayed the students, parents and taxpayers of the Hempstead School District to enrich herself,” stated Comptroller DiNapoli.  “I thank United States Attorney Breon Peace, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, the FBI and the Inspectors General for the Departments of Agriculture and Education for their partnership in holding Gardner accountable for her actions.”  

According to court filings and facts presented at the plea proceeding, Gardner, in her capacity as the Director of Food Services for HUFSD, helped secure lucrative contracts for Caliendo’s company, Smart Starts, to provide prepackaged breakfast meals for Hempstead public school students.  In exchange, Caliendo kicked back a portion of the contract proceeds totaling more than $100,000 to Gardner through fraudulent payroll deposits and other payments.  To conceal the illegal nature of the arrangement, those payments were deposited into a bank account that was created in the name of one of Gardner’s family members.  The kicked back funds were spent by Gardner on international vacations, a leased vehicle, and home furnishings.  Approximately $13,000 in kicked back funds were also withdrawn by Gardner in cash from ATMs located near her home and workplace.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Bagnuola and Charles P. Kelly are in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendants:

SHARON GARDNER
Age:  56          
Lindenhurst, New York

MARIA CALIENDO
Age:  57
Elmont, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-229 (JS)

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REAL ECONOMIC GROWTH IS ONLY 3%.

WHITE PLAINS UP 8% ON TARGET FOR $54.7 MILLION BY JUNE,  A RECORD.

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE By John F. Bailey November 29, 2022 UPDATED:

Westchester Sales Tax collections  have grown 11% over 2021, fueled by the extradordinary 8% inflation. Real growth of the Westchester economy is roughly only  3%.

Westchester, through October, according to the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance, has collected $703,206,310 in sales tax receipts through October 11% more than the $657,124,249 the county collected through the first 10 months of 2021.

The county, IF they collect the same revenues from sales taxes they received last October and December,  $61,536, 612 and $94,640, 895, the county will gross  $886,383,917 for the year.

The County, if county resident consumers spend at the current 11% growth rate in sales tax dollars in November and December will earn $17.1 million more putting them over $900 MILLION  ($903,563,342).  

In order to reach the $909,850,000 million in sales taxes budgeted for 2023 by the county financial experts, the county would have to have a 15% increase in the November December  two months in order to reach the $910 Million. It is possible.

 In 2021 the December sales tax went up to $94,640,995  million over $83,763,988 in December of 2021, an increase of 13% in one month one year over the other.

If the county does continue steady in its present growth it may fall short again as it did 6 years ago.

Optimism without reason has got the county into trouble in the last two years of the Robert Astorino administration. Projecting continued growth in the county economy based on an inflation-created revenue surge is going 90 miles an hour down a Dead End street and the brakes are gone (Thank you Hank Snow).

Thanks to covid, the county has had its deficit erased by millions in covid aid which they used to pay off their deficit caused by overoptimistic budgeting 6 years ago, and use the rest of it to replenish their fund balance, which actually should have gone to victims of covid. 

Now, this record sales tax year is being looked on as a perpetual phenomenon. Is the county again betting with chips they do not have?

Maybe. Or as an sportscaster friend of mine Steve Gilmartin of WMAL TV once said after the Washington Senators went 18-10 in their first 28 games, “We were living in a fool’s paradise, my friend.”

This 11%, figure watchers,  is not real growth. It is created by inflation in prices. Consumers cut back. The consumer has fixed income. So when higher prices bring in increased revenue companies and governments gain, but the growth is not real.

It just looks like the economy is growing and happy days are just around the corner.

But the growth is not real.

One trip to the supermarket will tell you that.

How’s White Plains doin’? Steady and Stable. 8% growth Not betting chips they do not have.

The City of White Plains is UP 8% after the first 4 months of its fiscal year with  $18,921,084 in sales tax revenues. If we match last year November December figures, we are sitting on $25,164,856 in revenues for the first 6 months.

If the city economy matches last the first six months of 2022 (when the city gained  $27,335,160 in sales tax revenues), the City of White Plains will post $52.5 million in sales tax receipts a sales tax record. White Plains should benefit from some inflation in those months, too. IF the first six months continue at 8% growth, the city will gain an additional $2,186, 812 dollars creating a final figure of $54,686,828.

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WPCNR CORONA VIRUS SURVEILLANCE. From the New York State Covid 19 Tracker. Observation and Analysis by John F. Bailey. November 28, 2022. UPDATED 1:15 p.m. EST:

WESTCHESTER COUNTY spread covid in November at a rate that will produce 5, 500 new cases by the week before Christmas.

IF the rate Westchester residents are spreading the disease spreads it any faster than it is now, (1 person infected– infecting 2 others), the county will likely see 12,000 infections by the week leading up to Christmas duplicating last year’s December wave.

(Editor’s Note: Saturday new Westchester covid cases were reported at noon today: 148 new persons were lab-tested verified with covid Saturday in Westchester giving the county 1,379 cases for the week ending November 26, giving this November 5,288 cases compared to last November 2021 total of 4,074. That means covid this November is spreading at 30% more than covid last year at this time (when there was no vaccine!) WPCNR congratulates New York State Covid Tracker faithfully reporting the day by day issuance of covid cases over the Thanksgiving holiday to keep citizens up to date on new cases on the ground.)

With Saturday new cases of covid to be reported today, Westchester County Lab-verified persons testing positive for covid Friday pushed County new cases to 1,231 for the 6 days ended Friday November 26.

The 1,214 cases reported the end of the second week of November infected 1,460 persons through Friday. The rate at which those 1,214 persons spread the disease to 1,460 others was 1 new person with covid two weeks ago passed through personal contact to 2 others.

Persons who came down with the disease in the last two weeks caught it faster (if you caught covid on a weekend, results showed the last two weeks that midweek new positive persons rose Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursdays and for the first time Friday new infections verified by Lab Friday hit 188, for the first time since November 4.

Top Line: The disease is infecting faster, and regenerating strong new infections in the middle of the week. Look at these numbers last week:

Monday the 21st: 237; Tuesday, the 22nd: 289: Wednesday the 23: 220; Thursday the 24: 134; Friday, the 25th: 188.

As people socializing over the last three days interacted over the Thanksgiving holiday in Westchester County it remains to be seen how cases will go up from the trend WPCNR sees now.

Officials are not telling people what is happening. They are not isolating or tracing whom these positives infected that we know of. No hot spots are being addressed.

Westchester and the Mid-Hudson region, Nassau and Suffolk are spreading the disease at a rate of 65% positives of tests lab-verified which is higher than New York City percentage of positives (9.2%) with New York City having 3,755,983 Million people(total population 8,930,002) more than the 9 surrounding counties which have combined population of 5,174,019.

The disease is spreading.

Authorities are unable apparently to create a ratio of how many persons testing positive with antigen self-tests are going to get lab-confirmed tests.

There appears to be significant lag between lab positives and the weekly totals of lab verified tests compared to the percentage rates of positive tests creating a gap (meaning more cases than have been actually lab-verified)

Why do I believe this is the case?

The Westchester rate of daily infections last week based on lab-verified tests reported by the state said Westchester County averaged 19.4 daily cases a week on Friday per 100,000 people. Westchester has 1,004,457 Million persons.

This means each day last week persons last week tested positive, 966 a week, which if the disease spread continues at that rate means 3,864 in a month.

So far in November 2022 we have 4,040 new cases. So we are already there at the 4,000 level a month now.

IF we spread from 1 to 2 persons, this means in one month the week of Christmas we will have 8,100 cases, just 4,000 less than the week before Christmas last year.

Through 6 days of last week we see a 8.3 infection rate on tests which if you extended to higher testing levels, you will see more infections. Does this mean not enough people are using antigen tests or worse, if positive, not reporting them or verifying with a lab?

Westchester has spread previously on a 1 new infected covid person spreading to 1 person. Now in the last two weeks we have seen that go up to 1 infected covid person spreading to 2.. It leads me to believe the spread rate has to be kept in mind.

We have to stay safer folks and only we can do that. Incomplete vaccinations need to be finished.

In New York City there was little masking that I saw. It is important to test yourself. and If positive, do not socialize or hug children, or best stay home.

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WPCNR NEWS AND COMMENT By John F. Bailey. (reprinted from November, 2001) UPDATED. November 22, 2022:

Someone made a big mistake this year. The papers this morning have no reference to the day John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. 

He was gunned down in the streets of Dallas like the 5 young people gunned down in Colorado Springs.

Today is the day in Dallas 59 years ago when President John F. Kennedy was shot riding in his motorcade in front of the Texas Book Depository Building. Just about 59 years ago to the hour: 12:30 Dallas Time

November 22,  1963. A most unfortunate coincidence that someone should have noticed.

Fifty-nine years ago today at about midday eastern standard time, President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas.

When I heard the news, I was heading up the steps of  Gray Chapel at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. It was sobering news. Then within the hour it was reported that the President was dead, and the search was on for potential suspects.

It was the first time in my life a national event had ever affected me.

Persons in their late 60s can probably remember exactly what they were doing when they heard that electrifying news.

Disbelief. Concern. Sadness.

Who would shoot the President?  How could they? The President no matter who he was was revered and respected at that time — not ridiculed, mocked, vilified, and criticised for his every move as he is today.

President Kennedy’s popularity was ebbing at that time. The public was initially inspired by the vision of Camelot and the likable, energetic young president. However, by the time he was assassinated, President Kennedy was coming under harsh criticism for his foreign policy and his inability to move an agenda through congress.

He was ridiculed by impressionists and pushed around by congressional heavyweights — eerily not too much different from our President today.

When Kennedy was shot, the American public, even those who disagreed with his politics and considered him in over his head in the presidency, were stunned by grief and horror.

Nothing had happened like that in America since 1901 when President William McKinley was assassinated.

An entire nation reflected in guilt for a week as the three television networks showed 24 hours a day assassination and funeral coverage. Walter Cronkite shed a tear on camera when he reported Kennedy was dead.

There is no “guilt” today. Instead each shooting. Each vile statement from a politician about gay people, immigrants, crime, inflation fans hate and worry.

Until the Trade Center Horror in 2001, this nation had not experienced anything on that national scale of reaction to an event.

Were we a more sensitive nation then? More sensitive to what killing actually is? I wonder. In the fast-moving sensationalism of news today, would the same sensitivity be there today?

Or, have we been hardened to violence, and do we now see violence as more of an acceptable solution to problems than to be avoided at all costs? Yes, we do. Politicans — and you know who you are — do.

It seems so. With disgruntled misfits just taking guns and shooting innocent people on a weekly basis.

I remember how Americans sat mesmerized in front of their televisions as the Kennedy goodbye played out.

I remember, too how Kennedy’s death swiftly paved the way for the landmark Civil Rights act of 1965, legislated by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. That legislation, without Kennedy’s assassination would probably never have been passed. I believe it passed because of collective guilt over Kennedy’s demise.

For 59 years, politicians, when their charisma is measured, have always been compared to Mr. Kennedy.

However, charisma does not get things done.

Does not make for change by itself. It is nice but it achieves nothing unless you have some solid ideas, management skills, and are willing to work hard for it.

Even, then, as a recent Kennedyesque President, Barack Obama found out, it may not happen.

However, the political rancor and hysterical hatred of our President  Obama that was expressed in the Republican debates, on talk radio and by candidates who should know better one year ago created an atmosphere of disrespect for then President Obama and the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton exceeded even that aimed at George W. Bush.

The lack of respect for President Trump today has created an atmosphere that is far more dangerous for the President and the country  than we can ever tell.

Mr. Trump polarized the nation into two warring camps with unprecedented name-calling, purely nasty, hurtful policies towards minorities and immigrants, and planned takeaways of health care, and blatant giveaways to robber barons on poshly covered crags in concrete canyons.

The toxicity against the Presidents, both Obama and now President Trump (though much is of Mr. Trump’s own immaturity and inability to manage) has been further inflamed by the whining of rich little brat Mitt Romney who has been given everything he wanted and bought everything else except the Presidency. His comments after losing to President Obama years ago alluding to what was needed was revolution to change things were historic as well as despicable. And dangerous.

It was a rich boy’s whining. It was reckless and immature. No defeated presidential candidate has ever made remarks like that. Even Al Gore when he lost the election did not, to my memory come out and call for revolution. Romney’s petulance showed the voters saw right through this Guy Smiley of a candidate they in their guts knew the phoney he was. He continues to be the phoney. Not voting with his conscience but his party.

Romney’s comments two years ago to his donors, were echoed by  Michael Steele’s statement about Emperor Obama and his “reign of lawlessness” is exactly the sort of talk that paved the way for the Republican campaign of hatred in 2016. It was irresponsible of Romney and Steele.

A losing Presidential candidate has one job, unite behind the new leader. Romney is the only President in my memory ever to act this way. Donald Trump was the second. Now these tactics were used again in 2022.

Elon Musk is reinstating those great humanitarians, Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Green to Twitter to save his worst investment ever.

Memo to America: the rich are never out to help you. They always act in their self-interest. Every charitable gift is a tax deduction from the negligible taxes they pay. They also love interns working for them for free. They want you to buy into their IPOS then go bankrupt and you lose it all–I can hardly wait for the Cryptos to go under….what kind of bailout will those shellbanks get?

The Republicans’ inability to compromise stalled the nation on recovery, immigration, health care…you name the issue, the Republican Party has stalled progress in their frantic effort to roll back the clock to the 1800s. And smoking big cigars and drinking expensive whisky, they are ready to do it again in January.

We should always remember The Republicans’ whining. Bullies always whine. Fixers always are sore losers.

Ideas and rhetoric are one thing, but to vilify the President on the scale of what we heard in 2016 was irresponsible. Because the disgraceful hate was listened to by persons across the country who suddenly got the “OK” from Republican candidates and “leaders” that it was ok to hate, to blame America’s problems on immigrants, and trade policies, and ignore science.

When “educated” leaders (if they ever graduated) in congress endorse the policies of hate and punishment people can be OK with that. Leaders are giving people license to hate and hurt, discriminate, exploit, and build up themselves at the expense of others and do not forget..kill.

So when you sit down to turkey Thursday give a thought to be thankful for a nation that once did not rise up in arms whenever a leader is elected that a portion of the populace does not like.

Be thankful that the American people once spoke and felt as one, and hopefully will learn to do so again even though we disagree.

I hope so.