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)

ArtsWestchester Names Stepinac Top Education Organization in the Arts 2012

Posted on April 8, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR ON ARTS. April 8, 2013:

ArtsWestchester held the 2013 Arts Award Luncheon on April 4 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains.

Archbishop Stepinac High School Drama Club received the Education Award.

This award is presented to an artist, individual, group, school, district or organization that has through extraordinary vision and leadership, enriched arts education in Westchester.

Pictured here with White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, are Stepinac seniors (from left): Tom Megan, Tim Stanson, Brian McNally and Stephen McMahon with White Plains Mayor Tom Roach.

All the winners, pictured above are:

Artist: Tony Vaccaro – a photographer of iconic WWII and celebrity images

Arts Patron: Judy Evnin – a dedicated leader and patron of visual and performing arts

Artist: Craig Schulman – a renowned Broadway performer and producer

Artist: Tony Vaccaro – a photographer of iconic WWII and celebrity images

Arts Organization: RiverArts – promoting arts and culture in the river communities

Community: Dr. Caroline Bauman – founder, Westchester Chamber Music Society

Community: Friends of North Castle Public Library – a cultural hub and originator of The Armonk Outdoor Art Show

Community: Arc of Westchester – serving people with autism and other developmental disabilities

Education: Archbishop Stepinac High School Drama Club – a theatre program used as an educational tool

Sophia Abeles Education: Rosalie Sauerhaft – arts educator, Performing Arts Center, Purchase College

Full Spring Ahead! First Daffodil Debuts. Grants WPCNR Exclusive.

Posted on April 6, 2013 by John Bailey

FIRST DAFFODIL OF THE SPRING COMES OUT

HUD WITHHOLDS SANDY DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS FROM COUNTY: Borgia

Posted on April 5, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From County Legislator Catherine Borgia. April 5, 2013:

County Legislator Catherine Borgia revealed today that the Department of Housing and Urban Development informed the county Thursday it would withhold Hurricane Sandy disaster relief because of County lack of progress in complying with the housing settlement.

Borgia, in a statement to the media, accused the county of withholding this HUD action from the Board of Legislators:

“In a letter dated April 4, HUD noted that its “serious civil rights concerns” connected to County Executive Astorino’s continued non-compliance with the housing settlement is preventing the County from receiving the disaster relief funds. HUD pointed out New York State may “utilize several options to deliver program benefits to Westchester residents without funding the County itself,” however.

Borgia also noted that BOL was never apprised of the HUD letter regarding the loss of FEMA funds for Hurricane Sandy relief. The BOL obtained the HUD letter from an outside source.

Westchester Legislator Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining), chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) Government Operations Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to not send Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for Hurricane Sandy relief to Westchester County:

“Once again, we see how the Administration’s unwillingness to work collaboratively with the Federal government to resolve the outstanding issues of the 2009 Housing Settlement hase hurt Westchester residents right in their pocketbooks. Westchester is relying on FEMA funding to do major storm repairs in Playland and in other County facilities, and local municipalities need equal access to fund repairs in their communities.

I’m thankful that the State will be allowed to assume the responsibility for distributing these needed funds so that critical repairs can be made. But this decision once again illustrates how important it is for the County to start behaving responsibly and move forward with the settlement issues.

Borgia’s statement continued:

“This is merely the latest in a long series of financial liabilities that the Administration’s continued stubbornness will cost us; and there could be many more significant financial penalties coming for non-compliance of the Housing settlement. Westchester taxpayers can’t afford to continue to bear that burden.”

School District Brings Timothy Connors Back Early to Consult on Fall Programs.

Posted on April 5, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the City School District. April 5, 2013:

In an agenda released at 5:30 Friday afternoon, the School District made public it’s plan to rehire former Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors early, effective April 13 as a consultant from now until July 1 when Mr. Connors will become Interim Superintendent for the district, and officialize Mr. Connors’ appointment as Interim Superintendent of Schools July 1.

Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board of Education told WPCNR that Mr. Connors is expected to sign a consulting contract Monday evening at the Annual Scholarship Athlete recognition meeting at the high school. She told WPCNR she does not have a signed contract yet and did not have the financial arrangement to report at this time.

Asked if Dr Christopher Clouet would still be making decisions as present Superintendent of Schools, Schoenfeld said Clouet would still be handling Superintendent duties, and Mr. Connors would be “consulting” on matters as part of the ongoing program beginning in July when Dr. Clouet is no longer here. Asked if this meant changes in certain policies scheduled for the fall such as the reorganization of the Middle School, Schoenfeld said I needed to talk to a member of the School Board.

Also on the agenda is approval of the Proposed Superintendent’s budget. Asked if this included a decision by the Board to raise the budget to $193.4 Million, with no increase in the property tax rate, Schoenfeld said she had not looked at it yet.