WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Governor’s Press Office. August 2, 2022:

Governor Kathy Hochul announced Monday that the first quarterly update to the FY 2023 Enacted Budget Financial Plan has been released. The elevated reserve fund deposits and balances planned since October 2021 will continue even in the face of a changing economic outlook.

“Like the rest of the country, New York State is facing substantial headwinds with a changing national economy, and our latest update to the Enacted Budget Financial Plan reflects that,” Governor Hochul said.  “While the Plan incorporates future budget gaps, our commitment to fiscal discipline and planning for a rainy day remains and reserve fund deposits and balances will stay at the elevated levels we have planned.” 

The Plan update reflects clear signs of economic distress in the national economy, which trickles down to the State economy.

Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.9 percent in the second quarter of calendar year 2022, which follows a first quarter decrease of 1.6 percent.

Consumer prices through June 2022 increased by 9.1 percent over 12 months, the largest increase since the 12 months ending November 1981.

Financial sector performance, which is an important source of tax collections in New York State, has continued to weaken in response to unfavorable economic data.

Through late July, every major stock index is down more than 10 percent, with the NASDAQ index down over 23 percent and the S&P 500 down 15.1 percent, since the start of calendar year 2022.  

Starting in FY 2024, the annual estimates for personal income taxes (PITs) have been reduced substantially from the Enacted Budget in recognition of a weaker economic outlook for both the U.S. and the State.

The estimated payment component of Personal Income Tax which includes capital gains activity, is reduced by $3.1 billion in FY 2024, $5.1 billion in FY 2025, $5.7 billion in FY 2026, and $8.4 billion in FY 2027.

The reduction is partly offset by a $1 billion annual increase in the withholding component of Personal Income Taxes reflecting growth from a higher expected base in FY 2023.

The updated Financial Plan reflects an additional General Fund surplus of $2.3 billion in FY 2023 and a gap of $310 million in FY 2024, after the planned use of the FY 2023 surplus in FY 2024. 

The budget gaps in the out-years are estimated at $3.6 billion in FY 2025, $3.5 billion in FY 2026, and $6.2 billion in FY 2027. The budget gaps are almost exclusively attributed to the reductions to the tax receipts forecast. 

The State has continued to strengthen reserve funds that serve as a bulwark against precipitous service cuts or tax increases during an economic downturn. 

At the end of FY 2022, the State’s principal reserves totaled nearly $9 billion.  Over the next three years, additional deposits of $10.4 billion will bring reserves to $19.4 billion, equal to 15 percent of State Operating Funds spending, the fiscal target set by Governor Hochul in October 2021. 

Reserves in FY 2025 exceed the projected budget gaps by roughly $6 billion. 

The Plan update is available on the Division of the Budget website. 

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 SETS STAGE FOR POSSIBLE ACCELERATION IN FALL CASES AT THE 300 CASE A DAY RATE OF MAY.

NEW COVID INFECTIONS THRIVE IN “ANYTHING GOES” ATMOSPHERE : NO MASKING, NO SOCIAL DISTANCING, NO RESTAURANT CAPACITY LIMITATIONS, NO PUBLIC SPACE LIMITATIONS. BOTHERSOME REINFECTION RATE

WPCNR COVID BULLETIN. From the New York State Covid Tracker. Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey.

The 9,642 persons testing positive for Covid in June contributed to spreading the disease to 10,298 persons in the month of July.

It is a 4% statistically insignificant rise from June in covid infections, but a continuation of strong infection numbers for three straight months that has sustained covid spread.

The infections in June and July combined are  the highest since 300 a day new infections started up in May of this year when 13,055 cases of covid were recorded.

February of this year the county had 4,389 infections. February was the month after 5 weeks of  vaccinations in the county had brought the record January infections of 51,826 to an accelerated slowdown–from the highest month of covid  infections ever in January.

 In March Westchester followed with 4,163 infections. April reported 7,054. May showed a strong upswing in covid infections to approximately 13,055 but that figure is an estimate since no testing information was put out over Memorial Day weekend and subsequent adjustments on those 3 days were not clearly defined by the Covid Tracker.

So in May June and July the county has been averaging  10,911 new covid infections.

It is significant to note  the statewide precautions and protocols were relaxed substantially in the spring by the state legislature taking away the former Governor Cuomo’s powers over emergency measures and agreeing that restaurants, gatherings, concerts prohibitions and capacities could be eliminated which the former governor had used to put in masking, capacity limitations in restaurants and public  events.

Currently  the public is very relaxed about covid and each new person coming down with covid in total is spreading the disease to 1.4 persons which is a very good spread rate that shows that persons are not ignoring the impacts of covid and perhaps are quarantining themselves after becoming sick, but that is wishful thinking. I hope that is true.

Over the last 5 months from March 1 through July 31, covid infections per week have gone up in 14 of  the last 23 weeks in Westchester County.

There IS strong consistent rise in the new positive covid cases beginning Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and Friday of each week in PCR (Lab confirmed positive tests), which would indicate persons are getting infected with symptoms faster over the weekend and test themselves with an antigen (at home test) find a positive, panic and go in for a lab test(or not).

The “or nots” are a problem. Since the county is no longer operating or encouraging PCR tests and depends on a testing “honor system” if you test positive on an antigen test, you have yourself tested via a PCR test, how many antigen positives without serious symptoms aren’t getting that PCR tests, or worse, not self-quarantining?

Here’s what I mean:Orange County Saturday reported 118 positives, (an 8.8%) rate, but because no one know the population of their county offhand, the significance of the 7 day average infection rate has no impact the person reading the wonderfully valuable Covid Tracker.

For example,  On Saturday the Covid Tracker reported the average number of new infections per 100,000 persons of population is 30.9. Orange has a population of 3,166,857 so at 31.7 times 30.9, Orange should have had 980 positives last week, and through 8 days Orange had 984 positives. That is a significant problem for Orange County.

But, but,but…if you look at the daily covid tracker, that does not hit home. I suggest as infections spreading continues to be an obvious problem that the cumulative number of infections per week by shown as the week progresses.

It was not until I did that Orange County calculation that I realized how significant Orange infections have been increasing. Here are the total infections this week for each Mid-Hudson Region County. The figures speak for themselves

Westchester

In Westchester County the county has spread the disease at a 9.7% positive of PCR  rates, far more than the 1.1% test rate needed to diminish the number of cases from spreading. Westchester has average 33  of 100,000 persons/per population  a day tested positive July 24 to 31 positive for covid which with 1,004,457 population means Westchester averages  2,402 a week new covid infections.  2,473 were the Westchester infections last week, counting Sunday.

Orange County over the last week had 984 positives.  (This is way up in the last week, averaging 140 new infections a day. Orange should consider this growing problem.)

Rockland County last week July 24 through Sunday tested 802 positives. Rockland was averaging 22 new positives per 100,000 in population the last 7 days. Rockland  should have 502 positives (22 times 3.26 –326,225 of population) but there were 802 positives through Sunday, that means the average infections are growing daily at the rate of 60%.

Dutchess is in trouble, too. From July 24 through July 31, Dutchess reports via the New York Covid Tracker, 636 new infections. Dutchess for the last 7 days had been suffering  17.4 new infections per 100,000 population per day, and should have had (had the population been containing the disease by safe practices) 362 infections. (17 x 7 x 2.98 –297,488, the Dutchess County population. But  sadly no – the  number is 802. Another similar sharp increase in average infections.

Ulster County, the tracker reports today is in at 263 new cases of covid. That is 32 new infections a day. Ulster County averaged 19 new infections a day for the last 7 days on each 100,000 of population. Ulster has  181,851 population, so we do 100,000 into 181,851 and get 1.81 times 19 and we get  241 new infections at the average infection rate of 19 infections a day. Ulster is not spreading as much as the other 5 counties.

Putnam and Sullivan Counties have the smallest populations in the Mid-Hudson Region

Putnam reports in on the New York Covid Tracker at 220 new infections. They average the last 7 days  29 infections per 100,000 population or 203 for a week. Divide Putnam’s population (98,532) by 100,000 and you get .98 times 203 and you get 198 should be Putnam’s infections, but the county is in at 220, a slight .11% increase in the number of cases in Putnam

Sullivan reported 169 new cases July 24 to 31. Sullivan reported 34 new cases an average per day the last 7 days on 100,000 of population, or 238 a week. Divide Sullivan County population (78,624) by 100,000 and you get .78.  Multiply.78 x 238 and you get 186.

Sullivan is the only county of 7 in the Mid-Hudson Region to suppress the spread of covid last week.

This is admirable on the surface the number of PCR tests  quantities indicate a lot of people in Sullivan are not testing, compared to the positive rates across  all 7 counties The 7-county average is 9.95% positive on very small test numbers.

The positive rate of 9.95% of all 7 counties From Westchester to Sullivan holding  across larger testing quantities  is a nightmare come true. 

Weschester County averaged 5,583 PCR (LAB AUTHENTICATED TESTS) last week and averaged 10% positives. If the county administered 12,000 PCR TESTS  and  the 10.7%  positive rate held true they might might find 1284 positives a day, that is, coincidently, 9,000 a week exactly what we are finding now for three straight months of covid lingering, mingling, and infecting.

And school starts in 5 weeks.

Reinfections are running 6% of those cured from covid for 90s in New York State

A lot to worry about.

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The governor of the State of New York Kathy Hochul has declared an emergency in the state over the continued spread of monkeypox.

“I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront the monkeypox outbreak,” Hochul tweeted. https://bit.ly/3oFYEMB

She added that more than one in four monkeypox cases in the United States are in New York, also having a disproportionate impact on at-risk groups.

https://jac.yahoosandbox.com/1.2.0/safeframe.html

As of July 29, New York state had a total of 1,383 confirmed orthopoxvirus/monkeypox cases, according to New York Department of Health’s website.

Earlier on Friday, Brazil and Spain reported the first monkeypox-related deaths outside Africa.

The World Health Organization last week declared a global health emergency, its highest level of alert, over the monkeypox outbreak.

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Pittsfield, MA – Lawyers supported by Children’s Health Defense (CHD) are representing four families in a suit in Massachusetts Superior Court seeking to reinstate the Pittsfield Board of Health’s cease and desist order against Verizon. The case is the next step in the resident’s 24-month ordeal that began when Verizon turned on a cell tower in their neighborhood known as “Shacktown.” As soon as the tower went operational, people began getting sick. Almost 20 have been definitively identified, but more may be negatively affected.

The Pittsfield Board of Health issued the cease and desist on April 11, 2022, after a long and thorough investigation into the health impacts of Verizon’s tower.  It rescinded the order on June 1, 2022, after Verizon sued in federal court. W. Scott McCollough (McCollough Law Firm, PC) and Paul Revere, III (Law Offices of Paul Revere, III) are representing the Plaintiffs and argue in their suit that the interference of several city officials was improper, unlawful and tainted the entire process. 

The Pittsfield Board of Health studied the relevant scientific and medical information, including more than 1,000 peer-reviewed studies. The Board interviewed scientists and medical professionals. It took evidence from those and met with Verizon Wireless. The Board discovered the cell tower was making 17 individuals ill, and their homes were so uninhabitable that many had to move away, while others moved in with relatives, and some slept in their cars. The tower had rendered sleep elusive, cognition impaired, while some children were vomiting in their beds at night. Vertigo, heart palpitations and severe headaches were part of the constellation of neurological symptoms experienced by the affected neighbors.

On April 11, 2022, the Board issued an “Emergency Order” having found health and sanitary code violations and declared that the Verizon cell tower is a public nuisance. They gave Verizon seven days to request a hearing and, if it did not, then it had to discontinue operation. Verizon then filed a lawsuit contending the Board is powerless and cannot protect Pittsfield residents from the tower’s toxic wireless emissions.

The Board has bravely tried to resolve the problem, but Verizon has refused to admit to the harms it is inflicting, or to engage in collaborative efforts to resolve these harms. Even worse, the Board and the residents are not just having to deal with Verizon. Others in the city have persistently tried to prevent the Board from providing meaningful relief. Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta and former Dir. of Community Development Deanna Ruffer have done all they could to frustrate the Board’s independent authority and duty to end the toxic wireless emissions, or at least mitigate them. The residents’ suit contends that these three officials have violated the state’s nepotism laws and the ethics standards for government employees and attorneys. The lawsuit extensively documents their specific actions and details the financial and legal conflicts of interest that are driving them.

Tyer, Pagnotta and Ruffer, in cooperation with Verizon, thwarted the Board’s efforts to secure outside counsel, thereby ensuring that the Board could not defend its Emergency Order. As a result, the Board was coerced into rescinding the Emergency Order on June 1, 2022. The residents’ lawsuit challenges the Board’s decision to rescind, but its principal focus is on Tyer, Pagnotta Ruffer. The complaint seeks a court declaration that their interference was improper, unlawful and tainted the entire process. If the Superior Court grants the requested relief, these individuals will have to stop their improper interference and the Board will be allowed the flexibility it needs to remediate the harms it has already found to exist.

“Pittsfield has previously taken on companies that were hurting its citizens,” said CHD president and general counsel Mary Holland. “The residents of the Shacktown neighborhood epitomize the reality that prosperity means nothing if your citizens are sick and even dying. The only difference here is that it is Verizon, not General Electric, and the toxin is wireless radiation not PCBs. When GE left Pittsfield, it created an economic vacuum but moving the tower to address the residents’ suffering, including three homeowners with cancer, does not create a hardship for anyone. Several commercial landowners in Pittsfield have offered their property for the tower. In this picturesque city in the Berkshires with 40% open space, Verizon can put their tower where it is not a potentially lethal nuisance.” 

“The Board is trying to do the right thing, but they have been prevented from carrying out their duties because of cronyism and favoritism,” continued Holland. “We hope that this suit will stop the interference and free up the Board so it can finally force Verizon to the negotiating table as the Emergency Order intended prior to its forced rescission.”

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WPCNR CORONA VIRUS BULLETIN. From the New York State Covid Tracker, Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey, July 28, 2022:

Following the midweek Covid Surge Pattern of the last 19 weeks, The Covid Tracker reported 411 PRS (lab-verified) new persons tested with the corona virus in Westchester County.

Sunday the 24 to Wednesday, the 27th, on the last week of July, there were 266, 199, 327 and yesterday 411 new persons down with covid, an average of 300 new infections a day, which if continued through Saturday will give Westchester County 2,100 infections for the week . Last week Thursday through Saturday, the county had 3 days of 342, 344, and 349 new positives so we may have just short of the 2,360 infections last week.

There is small comfort from that because the county is only testing an average of 2,564 persons a day. At infection rates of 10% in those small quantities, you might assume if more tests were done that were PRS (lab verified) you would have far more infections that the average positives coming from these very low testing figures.

If the pattern swings up from the Thursday, Friday and Saturday levels the last week of July would be the 11th week in 14 weeks of “up” weeks in covid infections. With 2,100 infections for the week compared to 2,360 last week, the county would be just shy of 10,000 infections in July (9, 925)

In July of 2021, Westchester County had just 470 covid cases, 59 a day. Those 470 positives in June 2021 lead to the beginning of the 2nd wave of covid in July 2021 when cases went up to 1,782 in July 2021, each new positive infecting 4 persons.

This year because testing is down sharply to below 2,500 bonafide PRC (lab-analysed) tests you have no idea how many persons are out there relaxing, socializing, infecting. There is no bonafide infection rate.

Last month June 2022, using New York State Tracker figures, Westchester County totaled 9,642 new positives in 30 days, a spread rate of 321 new cases a day and they are spreading the cases faster testing positive within 2 days. not 10 to 14, the spread rate of the old covid. Since the B.A.5 Variant is at large, it is indeed proving much more contagiously covid this month.

What have those 9,642 positives in July done so far, created just about 10,000 infections in July, sustaining their spread to just about 1 other person. That is actually good news, but wait–testing is limited, they may seen more than one person. We do not know, because tracing has declined.

What we can expect in August is another 10,000 infections if not more. Because of the unknown universe of asymtomatic, positives walking around thinking they are cured.

The Midweek Covid Surge Pattern is continuing and it has continued consistently for 20 weeks since early March.

The syndrome reflects heightened social activity by all ages, outdoor recreation without restriction, no masking policies that are enforced, no penalties of any kind, expanded entertainment capacities, outdoor festivals and concerts.

With schools opening in one month, with no plans I have heard of by any school district for precautions of disease spreading even in view of the monkeypox situation; with much more of a universe of positives in a month hitting the schools potentially–Superintendents of Schools, the State Education Department and the New York State Health Department and communities across Westchester should give this some careful “what if scenarios?” and what they would do.

More to the point, what is the State Senate, the State Assembly think about the covid situation? And the Disease of the week, Monkeypox, which has gone from squibs to headlines in a week?

Since the State Houses in Albany relieved Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of the Governor ability to take emergency measures and invoke emergency powers, only the State Senate and State Assembly have the power to order statewide emergency measures (as Governor Cuomo did and his measures stopped the first wave of covid cold by April 1 of 2020, and then it came back after the restrictions were lifted.

Assemblyman Chris Burdick of the 93rd Assembly District told WPCNR this afternoon that the current state budget has set aside financial resources in the budget to fund possible covid expenses for emergency actions the two legislative houses deem necessary as conditions of covid appear to require, and now the Monkeypox threat is a source of serious concern.

I asked Assemblyman Burdick if the atmosphere in Albany during the special session just completed reflected awareness and concern for the infection surges in the Mid-Hudson, Long Island and in the five boroughs of New York City.

He said the concern in the Special Session only dealt with the Abortion legislation and crafting new “concealed carry” laws. He said he, since he does not sit on the Health Committee he could not comment on the Health Committee concerns, if any, about the covid spread and its new companion threat Monkeypox.

I asked under what circumstances would possible measures be taken up by the legislatures (in view of the legislature now in charge of approving Emergency y Measures, having relieved the former Governor Cuomo of that power.)

Burdick said that if Governor Kathy Hochul felt emergency measures and actions were necessary to handle the dual disease threat rolling into the fall, she would have to call an Emergency Session of the legislature to take up steps she felt were necessary for State Senate and State Assembly for approval.

Of course, with Governor Hochul apparently reluctant to seize the covid issue worried about getting elected, pushing for some mandatory covid and monkey pox containment will irresponsibly be seized by her opponent who comes from the area of the state that is responsible for bringing covid back, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. This week Nassau and Suffolk counties have combined for 4,683 new positives in 4 days, double that of Westchester County. This is not new.

And you know the legislators do not want to shut down schools, shut down businesses, shut down theatres and restaurants, and they desperately want to get people out of their homes back to work in the city to spur that city revenue driver.

Covid and Monkeypox are rising

As Frank Sinatra sang, “It’s up to you New York New York.”