WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.
New York officials should never again schedule an August Congressional primary.
The August 23rd primary date is a travesty –a form of voter suppression.
Many voters are on vacation. Other voters are preoccupied -taking their children to college. And others are picking up their kids from camp. My guess is that a very small percentage of voters will bother to watch any of the Congressional debates.
There are key Congressional primaries in NYS. It’s possible that the low turnout of voters will result in the nomination of candidates who don’t have the majority of support of the voters.
There is no reason why the NYS Legislature scheduled separate primaries for the Assembly and Governor races in June —and then scheduled Congressional primaries two months later.
Also – holding two separate primary dates is very costly to the taxpayers –money wasted on election location rentals, paying for election inspectors.
WPCNR DOUBLEDEMIC REPORT. From New York State Covid Tracker & MONKEYPOX TRACKER. Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey. August 21, 2022:
Westchester is reported as having tested 162 persons positive Saturday, and 219 positive on Friday bringing the week’s new infections down 22% since a week ago to 1,299: the lowest number of infections since March 27 to April 2nd when the county reported 1,095 infections.
More significant is August has so far reported 5,025 new covid cases in August two weeks before the Labor Day Weekend as opposed to 10,298 in the month of July, cutting new cases 49% in the so far incomplete August of 2022.
The four weeks and three days of August 2021 showed 5,704 new cases, a decline in cases of year to year after the July surge of 2021, of 673 cases this year, only 12% less. This presents a puzzle which we will not know the answer to until the fall.
In July of 2021 Westchester showed 1,724 new positives generating 5,704 cases last August.
This July, we had far more Covid positives, 10,298 in July, and positives are down in August by 12%.
This anomaly of less infections from many more positives in the month ended 3 weeks ago, is very welcome. It may mean the disease is not appearing to spread to as many because people are not getting tested, or not reporting home test positives, which means after September resumes, we may see a bunch of new infections from the schools, the Labor Day Weekend socializing, or people coming back from vacation with virtually no mandatory covid spread protocols in place. None.
Or, it could mean the disease is in decline, though it does have a 6% reinfection rate after 90 days meaning those 10,298 infectees could the covid again and add 617 new covid cases in September countywide.
We had 10,298 new cases August 1 from July 2022, ended 21 days ago. Those July 10,298 so far infected 5,029 new people in August, which tells me covid cases in July spread it in August so far at a 4.9% spread rate.
The salient fact is each positive covid tester in July is spreading it cumulatively to 5 people.
This Spread Rate is much better, as this week’s infection rate is running 7.4% on an average daily testing universe of 2,626 persons, meaning 185 new cases a day– a lot better than the 250 a day last week (August 7 to 13) and 295 a day the first week in August (1-6).
What will this mean in the fall? Let’s go back to the WPCNR LOGBOOK OF COVID 2021 for the answer:
In September of 2021 with 9 months of vaccinations in Westchester arms, there was serious masking and socializing restrictions, and theatres and movies and sports and concerts restricted attendance or were cancelled, and around 80% of County residents with one dose observe:
September went to 4,550 new infections based on 7,704 new cases in August., a 6% infection in August, 2021.
Westchester is in the same position on the numbers as we were in 2021. But now Westchester continues in an “Anything Goes” health environment going into the fall. Vaccinations have also not increased much past the 82% and the numbers of children under 5 in Westchester fully vaccinated against covid is low since the vaccine for that segment was only recently approved. In New York City, 61% of children 5 to 17 are fully vaccinated which is very good news for the New York Schools. The low school populations fully vaccinated in the county is cause for concern:
The Fully vaccinated and the almost vaccinated in Westchester County
In Westchester as of August 17 (Wednesday),
3.3% of children under 5 were fully vaccinated.
54.6% of children 5 to 11 were fully vaccinated
88.7% of 12 to 17 year olds were fully vaccinated.
80.7% of 18 to 25 year olds were fully vaccinated
85.5% of 26-34 year olds were fully vaccinated,
90.1% of 35 to 44 year olds were fully vaccinated
87.1% of 45 to 54 year olds are fully vaccinated
55-64s,93.1% Fully Vaccinated
65 to 74s, 99.6% Fully Vaccinated.
In the fall last year with restrictions in effect, we built up infections going into Thanksgiving and the December holidays to covid’s highest infections ever in Westchester 36,000 cases in January.
So once again, more than ever it is up to you New York.
Here are the Monkey Pox Cases as of the end of the week for the various regions:
THIS JUST IN AUGUST 22, 2 PM: WESTCHESTER CASES OF MONKEYPOX AS OF SUNDAY NOW REPORTED 75
WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK.By “Bull” Allen. August 21, 2022:
It is too late.
The confidence has been shattered.
The team goes through the motions.
The New York Yankee collapse is in free fall.
For the second straight season Aaron Boone has continued to refuse to learn from his mistakes of last year.
I’m sitting in the old Yankee Stadium WPIX BOOTH, looking out on the Field of Champions in the late night. The sound of beer cups being popped by fans taking last looks at the Field of Champions, the echoing green of greatness, where the ghosts of Ruth, Gehrig, Joe D., The Mick, Hank Bauer, Bobby Richardson, The Moose, Yogi, Elston, Enos Slaughter, Whitey, The Bulldog, Mel Stottlemyre, Raschi, Lopat, Maris, Lazzeri, Crosetti, Meusel, Dickey cavorted and play in memory. I’m smoking a White Owl Wallop, and sipping a Ballantine slow. Remembering and seeing my old team fade into infamy and laughter and ridicule.
In my day, no teams ridiculed the Yankees. When you came to “The Stadium” in New York every player, every fan knew it was Yankee Stadium. They gave you the standard by which you were measured against.
No more.
For the second straight season the General Manager Brian Cashman has banked on unproven high priced talent that specialize in hitting homeruns with the bases empty.
Why are the bases empty? They strike out a lot swinging for the fences and rarely get on in front of the home run hitters with the .240 batting averages.
You could say that this is not the manager’s fault. He’s not responsible for hitters failing to hit.
Well no, but they are 4 and 15 since the All-Star Break. They cannot score runs.
Where did that .700 ball team as John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman my savvy successors in the Yankee booth point out every inning of every broadcast. I must say despite every sentence they say being sponsored, their slow involved pace reminiscent of a couple married a long time, eases the pain and the dispair of this unfolding debacle that has stunned the baseball world’s eyes on them.
The Yankee Collapse is the big story in sports. The ultimate argument for the balance of baseball.
I remember 1965 when the Yankees collapsed and finished last. Johnny Keane had taken over managing and he took over an old group of champions from 1964. The bottom dropped out and Keane had a very short tenure as Yankee manager. But they were still good, just aging up, slightly past their prime.
The Yankees are a team based on analytics. But baseball is execution in all phases of the game. It is situational. You have to be able to put the ball in play at key times, not strike out. You have to move the runners. Make pitches to spots. Avert walks. defense intelligently. So many things. When the home run is glamorized like the long pass in football (at the expense of the short pass) is stressed, the same thing has happened. The Yankees wanted power throughout the lineup they had that then, a funny thing has happened. They were scouted heavy. The strikeout of the free swinger, with high gas and junk and God knows what new mystery pitches are getting out. The weakness of the hitters are being exploited and every team who plays them knows it.
But the collapse of 1965 was not proportionate to this one. I can never remember when the Yankees lost this many games this badly.
The collapse all but assures the Yankees will not resign Aaron Judge. Judge is trying to carry the team, but he has to think if he has any desire to remain with the Bronx Bombers, how is the team going to change next year. Management always has to prove they are right.
The Yankees are about to play the Upstart Mets. Slowly becoming the darlings of the sycophantic sports press what there is of it. I mean I am tired of articles about golf, soccer, misbehaving quarterbacks
The Mets are beating everyone in sight in the National League East. But they too are feeling the long season: a 10 game lead over the Bravos?We got this.
Well that 10-game lead is now 3 games. Atlanta has won 9 of the last 10. They know the Mets at 5-5 are struggling they can smell first place.
The Mets rent-a-pitching staff takes a leaf right out of the Yankee playbook. And De Grom has already indicated he’s going to free agent. The Mets will try for Judge, if Judge wants to stay in New York. The Mets should sweep the Yankees badly, but the Yankees could surprise. It’s baseball. If they do surprise and take 2 of 3, they could turn things around. But taking the Met Series is not going to change things.
The weakness of an unbalanced offensive lineup will remain and continue to put an undue burden on starters to go longer into games, work harder. Cole has had a mixed season. Every starter has had mixed seasons.
Since Manager Boone has followed the Sparky Anderson of pitching staff by bullpen which Anderson used in the 1970s, (when he had the best lineup in the National League, but only won 4 times, 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976 time, Boone has showed that without adequate reliable starters, the bullpen no matter how “durable” gets overworked. Their arms get tired and they become inconsistent. Boone has a knack for putting the wrong pitchers in at the wrong times. The Yankees have lost many games with poor bullpenning in the final frames against bad teams. The losses to the Orioles in the beginning month. The inconsistency of Chapman kept despite the fact they knew he was inconsistent.
The hitters carried them to 70 wins by the All Star Break. They now have 73. 3 and 15 since the Break. Yankee fans filling the stadium have been very supportive. The Yankees have very loyal fans.
The Yankee 14 game lead over Toronto is 7 games. It’s 8 games over Tampa Bay. Even Baltimore at 10-1/2 and Boston at 13 games could overtake them.
What New York needed was two strong pitchers. But the pitcher acquired from Oakland pitching staff has not delivered as expected. This often happens when you pick up players expected to fill a hole, when they are used to playing in games that do not matter, well they have to adjust to the pressure of every team hating you because you are the Yankees. It is tough to step up to that pressure. The kid will. Baseball is pressure.
But the inconsistency of the lineup, the Molotov cocktail throwers in the bullpen will continue to throw gasoline cocktals on rallies and ignite them, not snuff them. Bedraggled, overused and used in unfamiliar spots, consistently failing to hold leads or coughing up the run that puts a game out of reach as Abreu did yesterday with a 408 foot home run into Monument Park (the old monuments) is a good example of that. It turned a 2-run lead (surmountable with a Sterling “Bloop and a Blast,” ) into a 3-run lead. This happens a lot now. It was particularly visible in the 9-7 “Slog” in the Bronx a week ago on a 100 degree humid day a 4 and a half hour 9 inning game. The bullpen just could not plug the gap the way they used to.
Now, there is no precedent in 119 years of Yankee baseball, for this kind of Yankee collapse.
If the Yankees continue this pace, and drop out of the lead and the playoffs, the 2022 Yankees will become a part of baseball lore, stuff of dread.
Lore the Yankee franchise has never had a part of ever. The lore of a catastrophic loss (with the exceptions of the hideous loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960 after having a 3 run lead in the 8th, AND the Yankee loss to the Florida Marlins in 2003 in the 9th), has never been a stigma attached to the franchise on the playing field.
The Yankee collapse-in-progress is similar to that the “Phillie Fade-out” of 1964.
I was reminded of this by Suzyn Waldman the best prepared color commentatorette on the air yesterday in the 8th inning when she recalled the 1964 Phil Linz harmonica playing that provoked Yogi Berra’s tirade that sparked a 30-7 finish that won the pennant. Suzyn, thank you for that. And I salute your unfaltering analysis of the Yankee debacle in progress. Listening to Suzyn and John is pleasant, lazy like baseball, punctuated by flares of excitement and drama. They never upcut each other and unlike the babble of most baseball announcing teams, they are always interesting and audible, not having pileups of comments on top of each other.
If the collapse goes into freefall, the Yankees and Aaron Boone will be recalled by sportscasters of the future saying on EBN (The Eternal Baseball Network):
“This, Harry Kalas, is so much like the 1964 Phillies collapse of 1964, when the Phillies had a 6 game lead with 10 games to play and lost all 10 games, Philadelphia has never forgotten it.”
“Absolutely, Vin. I will never forget it. I saw it, we were a great club: Tony Taylor, Johnny Callison, Dick Allen, Wes Covington, Tony Gonzalez, Clay Dalrymple, Coolie Rojas, Bobby Wine Ruben Amaro. Pitchers in the starting rotation that could pitch: Jim Bunning (19-8), Chris Short (17-9) Art Mahaffey(12-9) Ray Culp (8-7), and great reliefers Jack Baldschun ( 6-9, 21 saves) and Ed Roebuck 5-3 (12 Saves).”
I can hear them saying that in the decades in the future.
The 2022 Yankees will be remembered as a team that disindegrated from .700 ball the first half to .200 ball the second half. The 2022 season will be remembered in New York as the Yankee Collapse year.
The team that wins the World Series will be overshadowed by this flawed team.
The hitting has not been able to be corrected. The manager rarely plays for one run (moving the runners, by bunt, hitting to the right side, stealing, hit and run), and batting his best hitters Kiner-Felafa and Trevino who get on base at the bottom of the lineup.
I’ve having three Ballentines tonight if Toronto beats them again today
WPCNR COVID LOG STRIP: WESTCHESTER COVID INFECTIONS DAY BY DAY THROUGH THURSDAY. IF FRIDAY SAT CASES STAY AT 200 A DAY, COUNTY WILL SLIP UNDER 1,000 INFECTIONS A WEEK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MARCH 20-26. NOTE THE LOWERING OF INFECTION RATE TO BELOW 7%.
WPCNR DOUBLEDEMIC SURVEILLANCE.Statistics from NY Covid Tracker & N.Y.S MONKEYPOX TRACKER. Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey. August 20, 2022.
August has seen Westchester County cut its rate of covid new infections by 80% the last 5 weeks.
New York State Covid Tracker reports the County with 998 infections the first 5 days of this week, an average of 200 new cases a day 1/3 less than the average 300 a day in July. If the 200 a day average holds when Friday infections are reported this afternoon and today’s infections tomorrow, stay at the 200 new infections a day pace or decline, Westchester is on target for 1,200 infections a 28% decline from last week 1,664 infections.
WPCNR DAILY COVID LOG SHOWS COUNTY INFECTIONS SLOWING
BUT NASSAU SUFFOLK, 9,000 NEW COVID CASES . ALL 9 COUNTIES
HAVE 56% AS MANY CASES AS NEW YORK CITY
WPCNR DAILY COVID NOTEBOOK SHOWS WESTCHESTER TOWN BY TOWN INFECTIONS WITH OVER 100 NEW CASES. IN TWO WEEKS, WEEKLY NEW INFECTIONS HAVE DECLINED AMONG THE MOST INFECTIIOUS TOWNS BY 33%. DAILY INFECTIONS BY 3% (BY 77 CASES) COVID CASES IN THE I.C.U.’S OF WESTCHESTER HOSPITALS THAT ARE MOST BUSY WITH HANDLING NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR COVID. THE STRESSES ON THE I.C.U. CAPACITIES FROM NEW COVID CASES ARE DOWN BUT STILL A FACTOR TO MONITOR.
There is an outside chance the county could decline below 1,000 infections which would be the first time the county has kept the spread of the covid plague below 1,000 in a week. That week was March 20 to 26 when the county recorded 861 new cases. It has been going up since April 1 climb int 1,095 the week of March 27 to April 2, when 1,095 covid cases were reported for a week,
The County has gone up in infections 10 of the last 16 weeks since April 21, but declined in cases for 6 weeks in a row.
Is this due to vacations or Westchesterites handling covid and vaccines stopping covid infections?
Let’s give the citizens credit for being smart, tough, careful and considerate of their families, strangers and the public.
Keep it up.
Monkeypox has 70 cases reported in Westchester as opposed to New York City that has more Monkeypox cases than new covid cases.
WESTCHESTER, BY CONTRAST REPORTS ONLY 70 MONKEYPOX CASES IN WESTCHESTER.
MIRIAM LEVITT FLISSER REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR 16TH CONGRESSIONAL SEAT DOUBLEDEMIC IN NYC. INTERVIEW WITH NATIONAL HEALTH CARE OBSERVER ON THE PRIORITIES OF AMERICAN HEALTHCARE AHEADGOING DOWN, GOING UP AND FINISHEDKINGSLEY II OPENS—MAYOR STRONG ON KEEPING WHITE PLAINS AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYONE
INFECTIONS OF NEW COVID DECLINE 53% IN 5 WEEKS, NOW INFECTING AT 6.7 %
GANNET AS REVENUES PLUMMET. STOCK PRICE DECLINES 54%–GANNETT DISMISSES REPORTERS
JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS THIS WEEK EVERY WEEK ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK FOR 21 YEARS
Half surveyed report experiencing moderate to severe depression or anxiety.
WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS.From the African-American Knowledge Optimized for Mindfully-Healthy AdolescentProject. August 18, 2022:
As the nation prepares to return students to full-day, in person learning, Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, renowned psychologist and founder of The AAKOMA Project, today released the first of its kind national survey which focuses on the mental health of Youth of Color.
“When I started my research 20 years ago, I knew that a study like this needed to be done,” said Dr. Breland-Noble.
“Study after study of the general population of young people did not capture what we have done with this report. We hope that with the representation of so many different cultures in this study, we can pour truth and knowledge into how we study mental health, how policy in this area is created and how we help our children grow out of what binds them to multi-generational cycles. I am so proud of the work we are presenting today and look forward to scaling and continuing my work in this area of science for years to come.”
The study covers four specific areas: (1) Use of Mental Health Services, (2) Exposure to Racial Trauma, (3) Impact of COVID-19, and (4) Support Circles and resilience.
Unlike many other studies, SOMHYOC made a special effort to have a relatively equal representation of races in order to equitably assess and lay some much-needed groundwork to support all youth.
The survey showed that at least half of Youth of Color in the sample reported experiencing moderate to severe depression or anxiety. Some Youth of Color reported significantly higher depression and anxiety severity scores. Specifically:
Latino/e and Native American Youth had significantly higher scores of depression and anxiety severity than AAPI Youth (26% – 19%)
Overall the most commonly reported symptom of depression was being tired and having low energy (76% – 85%)
The most commonly reported symptom of anxiety was feeling anxious, worried and nervous (68% – 78%)
Youth of Color also reported engaging in non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (22%), having suicidal ideation (27%), and attempting suicide at least once (18%)
Of the Youth of Color who attempted suicide, 5% reported needing medical treatment
There are many factors in today’s world that affect the mental health of young people. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the future for generations to come and many experience effects in different ways.
The survey found that young People of Color were more likely to be affected or have a loved one with COVID-19. They are more likely to experience social, racial and climate injustice in addition to the strong stigma against seeking treatment that is common among families of color.
Most strikingly, the report found that 61% of Youth of Color were hopeful about their future.
Said Dr. Breland-Noble: “With this report, we aspire to inject truth and hope into the mental health community so that more resources can be allocated to help those who suffer in silence.”
Read more about the survey results behind the study here.
The up-to-date Mid-Hudson Region, and all counties, NYC and Long Island Monkeypox case count county be county. Click white arrow at bottom left to scroll down and up the Monkeypox Board. From the NYS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
WESTCHESTER COVID INFECTIONS CONTINUE IN SIGNIFICANT DECLINE. MONKEYPOX LURKING.
WPCNR EPIDEMIC SURVEILLANCE. From the New State Department of Health Monkeypox and Covid Tracker. Observations & Analysis By John F. Bailey. August 17, 2022:
In New York City the number of Monkeypox Infections of persons in exceeded the number of new Covid infections over the weekend, 2,431 TO 1,859 with Nassau and Suffolk Counties seeing double digit infections.
Westchester was reported by the New York State Department of Health to have 1,664 new persons testing positive with covid last week, and 66 cases of MonkeyPox, 15 more than the previous week.
In New York City, the Covid Tracker reported NYC having 2,340 new persons testing positive for covid Saturday the 13th, 1,670 new covid positives Sunday, the 14th, and on Monday, 1, 859 new civid cases.
MonkeyPox infections in the five boroughs of NYC number 2,431 as of Wednesday and growing. It should be noted that Nassau and Suffolk Counties are reporting 26 monkeypox cases in Nassau and Suffolk County, 39.
In 12 days, since Monkeypox was declared an emergency by Governor Hochul, the city has hit 2,431 cases. At this rate of spreading the city may have 5,240 cases in the city in two weeks. (or more). Bottom line monkeypox is infecting in freefall.
New York is averaging 70 new Monkeypox cases a day according to the dark line. At that rate NYC would have 980 to over one thousand new cases in two weeks.
In Westchester, not as much. The County has 66 infections on the Department of Health Tracker.
It is impossible to tell what the Westchester County spread rate is, as the case count was 51 last week. Nassau County and Suffolk County long a source of steadier higher cases among the 9 counties surrounding New York City during 2-1/2 years of Covid are also seeing significant and steady rise in Monkeypox.
Westchesterites’ terrific performance the last 4 weeks in sharply reducing covid spread to 1500 cases a week down from over 2,000 may be threatened by the monkeypox spread in NYC infecting very fast on a daily basis but that has not happened yet. But it is happening in New York City and Long Island.
