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)

Flu Shots Given at CVS Pharmacies in White Plains

Posted on January 14, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR FLU NEWS. January 14, 2013:

Flu shots are being given at CVS Pharmacies in downtown White Plains.

The CVS pharmacies in WP are located at 24 Mamaroneck Avenue (949-0961; 325 Mamaroneck Avenue (287-7650); 452 Mamaroneck Avenue (686-0226); 601 North Broadway (328-4925); and 253 North Central Park Avenue in Hartsdale (681-0618).

The pharmacy at 325 Mamaroneck Avenue told WPCNR at 2 P.M. they had just run out. The shot costs $31.99 and CVS accepts all insurances. No appointment is necessary.

It is advised you call the CVS to check on availability of the vaccine, which WPCNR was told may be administered at any time you walk in, if the vaccine is not out of stock.

To locate a CVS pharmacy outside of White Plains go to the CVS website at http://www.cvs.com/stores/store-locator-landing.jsp?_requestid=947122 and do a search on your community.

The Westchester Medical Group, a primary care group in White Plains is only giving flu shots by appointment with your doctor registered with the group, and not through its Emergency Treatment Center.

Any pharmacies in and around White Plains with flu vaccine are encouraged to e-mail wpcnr at [email protected] and tell us. WPCNR will add you to this limited list.

State: WP Sales Tax Off 4.3% at Mid-Year. County 2012 Shortfall:3%

Posted on January 14, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. January 14, 2013:

White Plains December Sales Tax Revenues are running 4.3% behind the 2011-2012 pace NYS Department of Taxation and Finance reported to WPCNR today. If sales tax collections in White Plains equal January to June collections of 2012, the city will collect $50 Million in sales tax, making the city projection of sales tax revenues for fiscal 2012-13 of $45.6 Million.

Westchester County actual 2012 sales revenues through December ran a $13,877,692 behind the county projection of $464.7 Million.

The county plans on a $478.7 million in sales tax revenue in its 2013 budget which require on a 6% increase in sales

Bronx Gang Leaders Charged

Posted on January 14, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. January 14, 2013:

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; George Venizelos, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Raymond W. Kelly, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced charges against 10 members of a criminal organization based on Wyatt Street in the Bronx, New York.

Nine of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and heroin. The crew’s alleged ringleader, Anibal Ramos, and one of its members, Anibal Soto, were charged in the original, July 2012 indictment with kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and the brandishing of a firearm in connection with, and in furtherance of, the kidnapping.

Ramos and Soto are alleged to have kidnapped and tortured an individual, including by burning the victim with an iron. The superseding indictment adds narcotics charges against Ramos and also charges him and three of the new defendants with possessing firearms in connection with, and in furtherance of, the crack cocaine and heroin conspiracy.

All eight of the new defendants charged were taken into custody today as part of a coordinated operation involving federal and local law enforcement officers. Ramos, who was arrested in August 2012, and Soto, who was arrested in July 2012, remain detained. All the defendants arrested today will be presented in Manhattan federal court this afternoon.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “As alleged, for far too long, these defendants were a bloody blight on a Bronx community, contaminating it with poisonous and highly addictive drugs and the guns and brutal violence that are part and parcel of the drug trade. This case demonstrates our commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who engage in this conduct and to expand cases previously charged when we develop new evidence. With the charges we bring today in two separate cases against 19 defendants, the Bronx neighborhoods in which they ran amok are safer places for their residents.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos, “This case highlights once again the dual threat posed to our communities by the illegal drug trade. The drugs themselves are poison, with life-altering and lethal consequences. And violence almost always comes with the territory. We remain committed to restoring our communities to their law-abiding residents.”

NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said, “The depraved acts of torture described in the indictment need no further characterization, other than to observe that the nexus between drug trafficking and violence is well-established, and the commitment among police and prosecutors to bring its practitioners to justice is unyielding.”

As alleged in the superseding indictment unsealed today and other documents filed in Manhattan federal court:

From at least 2000 through August 31, 2012, Ramos was the leader of a drug crew that operated on Wyatt Street in the Bronx and sold significant street level quantities of crack cocaine and heroin. In addition, members of the drug trafficking organization used firearms, threats of violence, and violence to secure and enforce their drug territory, including the kidnapping and brutal torture committed by Ramos and Soto.

Ramos, Joel Cabrera, William Zacchi, Christopher Hernandez, Michael Aviles, Latrell Riddles, Charitza Quintana, Yasmine, Zelayandia, and Jacqueline Hernandez are charged with conspiring to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, crack cocaine and heroin.

Ramos, Aviles, Riddles, and Zelayandia are also charged with possessing firearms in connection with, and in furtherance of, the crack cocaine and heroin conspiracy.

A chart containing the ages, residency information, and charges against the defendants, as well as the maximum penalties they face is at the conclusion of this release.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the NYPD. He added that the investigation is continuing

Governor Declares Public Health Emergency as Flu Spreads

Posted on January 13, 2013 by John Bailey

WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo. January 12, 2013:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today declared a Public Health Emergency for all of New York State in response to this year’s increasingly severe flu season.

The Governor issued an Executive Order which allows pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to patients between six months and 18 years of age. This Order suspends for the next 30 days the section of State Education Law that limits the authority of pharmacists to administer immunizing agents only to individuals 18 years of age or older.

Already 19,128 cases of influenza have been reported in New York this season, far more than the total of 4,404 positive laboratory tests that were reported all of last season (2011-2012). Additionally, as of January 5, 2013, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) received reports of 2,884 patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, compared to 1,169 total hospitalizations in 2011. To date, two children in New York State and eighteen children across the United States and have died as a result of this year’s seasonal influenza.

“We are experiencing the worst flu season since at least 2009, and influenza activity in New York State is widespread, with cases reported in all 57 counties and all five boroughs of New York City,” Governor Cuomo said. “Therefore, I have directed my Administration, the State Health Department and others to marshal all needed resources to address this public health emergency and remove all barriers to ensure that all New Yorkers – children and adults alike – have access to critically needed flu vaccines.”

The Governor strongly urges New Yorkers who have yet to receive a flu shot to schedule one immediately, as influenza cases continue to rise sharply across the State. To ensure all New Yorkers know the importance of – and have easy access to – flu shots, the Governor announced that the State Health Department (DOH), working closely with county, regional and private health care partners as well as local health departments, will launch a broad promotion of flu immunization.

As part of the promotional effort, ongoing flu-related information and resources will be continuously updated and disseminated via press advisories and media events, dedicated websites and social media sites such as Facebook and twitter.

The State Health Department will also continue to issue health advisories to healthcare providers, hospitals, long-term care facilities, local health departments and pharmacies to strongly advise all New Yorkers who have not already received their influenza vaccine to do so immediately, and to encourage all providers to continue to administer the influenza vaccine to their patients. DOH provides to health care facilities a web-based tool kit for influenza vaccination programs: www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/toolkits/.

New Yorkers can find a local vaccine provider by visiting http://flushot.healthmap.org/ and entering their zip code. New Yorkers without internet access can call 1-800-522-5006 or through TTY access at 1-800-655-1789 to find a nearby provider.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been testing this year’s known influenza viruses and matching them to the three viruses included in the 2012-2013 flu vaccine. To date, all of the influenza A (H1N1) and influenza A (H3N2) viruses that have been tested match the vaccine and approximately 69 percent of the known influenza B viruses match the vaccine.

How Flu Spreads

The Governor reminds New Yorkers who have not been vaccinated for influenza that it is NOT too late to get a vaccination. Flu vaccine can be obtained at health care providers’ offices, local health departments, and pharmacies across the state.

Since flu often continues into late winter or early spring, vaccinations at this time of year offer important protection. DOH recommends that everyone six months of age or older receive a flu vaccination. Those under six months of age cannot get a flu vaccination.

Since the flu virus can spread through coughing or sneezing, it is important that family members and people who regularly come in contact with young children or individuals at high risk get a flu shot. In addition, all health care workers should be vaccinated against influenza and other communicable diseases to protect their health and the health of their patients.

Symptoms

Symptoms of influenza resemble those of a cold, but come on swiftly and are more pronounced. A person who has the flu usually has a fever, chills, a severe headache, and muscle aches, as well as a cough or sore throat. Although most people will usually recover from flu without complications, the virus poses a more serious risk for individuals younger than age two, those over 50, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic medical conditions.

Individuals who have flu-like symptoms like a fever, cough, or sore throat, should call their doctor first before heading to the hospital. Many New Yorkers are going to the emergency room with mild symptoms; there’s no need to go to the hospital unless your doctor advises you to.

For additional information about influenza, including statewide surveillance, visit the State Health Department website at: http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/