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 DOINGS DOING DOWNTOWN. From Ellen Berger, White Plains Democratic City Committee. june 14, 2022:

The White Plains Democratic City Committee, and the Greenburgh NAACP are presenting the photography Exhibition Countdown to Eternity displaying the photographs taken by Bernard Fernandez, as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr.

A distinguished educator, Mr. Fernandez established the Photography Departments at The New School and Parsons School of Design. He created the Medal of Excellence, received numerous awards including The Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships and published a number of books.

“Countdown to Eternity” in its entirety has traveled around the world including Europe, Moscow, and Africa. Mr. Fernandez’s photographs are in the collection of The Smithsonian, The Museum of the City of New York, MOMA, and haven been shown in universities and galleries around the country.

While photographing a Civil Rights March in Central Park in 1967, Benedict met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., became friends and eventually became one of the only photographers invited to photograph King at home with his wife and family.

T he will be on view at the White Plains Public Library in the gallery upstairs on the second floor of the library from June 16 to July 30.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2022. From Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker. June 12, 2022:

Last Friday, Westchester County Legislator (District 7) Catherine Parker submitted over 2,500 signatures to officially put her name on the Democratic primary ballot for August 23, 2022, more than double the required number of signatures.

Parker, a small business owner and mother, enters the race with over $250k cash on hand and a number of local endorsements.

Parker, who served as Democratic Majority Leader of the Westchester Board of Legislators, expanded the Democratic majority to its largest size in history, represents a district wholly within the new 16^th congressional district, comprising a very significant portion of the voters in the new district.

Parker’s legislative district includes Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye and parts of Harrison and New Rochelle.

Parker entered the race due to incumbent Rep. Bowman’s inaction on key issues that impact Westchester and Bronx residents daily including voting ‘no’ on reinstating the SALT deduction and funding the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, two critical pieces of legislation that would reduce the tax burden on working families and invest in much needed local infrastructure improvements.

Additionally, Bowman’s failure of leadership on international affairs, including supporting Israel and NATO, have drawn major concern from voters across the district. “Congress has repeatedly failed on the biggest issues of the day and our own Congressman has consistently voted against our own interests,” stated Parker. “I have a record of getting meaningful results and I’m ready to bring the voices of Westchester and Bronx voters to Washington.”

Parker, who was first elected to public office as a Rye City Councilmember, has spent the last 15 years working to improve her community and making sure kids have a safe environment to grow up in. She was first elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 2013 and has since successfully passed groundbreaking laws from gun safety and environmental protections to wage laws and women’s rights.

“We had a great representative in Mondaire Jones and now that we’ve lost him as our representative, I couldn’t just sit back and wait for Rep. Bowman to realize he represents more than just ‘the squad’,” Parker said. “I knew I had to step up to make sure that southern Westchester had honest representation at the table, ready to deliver results in Washington.”

Fellow challenger County Legislator Vedat Gashi does not currently reside in NY-16 as drawn. Parker’s roots in Westchester County run deep; her great grandfather’s milk delivery route tracked through Scarsdale and White Plains. Born and raised by a single mother and teacher in Westchester County, Parker has dedicated her life to service in the heart of the district. She resides in Rye with her husband and two children.

Local leaders who have endorsed Catherine Parker for Congress:

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WPCNR HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT. News & Comment by John F. Bailey.  June 11, 2022:

If American women think the #Metoo movement has changed anything, and it may have, may, I urge you to wake up and smell the black coffee this morning.

You are in the same place you always were looking up to power—male and female power who like power OVER you and want to keep it.

They do not care about your rights, your feelings, or you.

The East Bay Times reported this morning how a leading establishment newspaper showed just how far you, women of America of come.

The answer is not far.

You see, the good old people who want power are in big control of competent, responsible, get-the-job-done, women with pride and sense of right and wrong, and respect them not a wit.

They respect men more, no matter what they do or say. Men win and women always lose.

Twenty-two years ago when I first began this news website, I started to twitter when it came into existence.

In about a week of tweeting , I realized I could get in serious trouble with what I would write on the spur of the moment in outrage,  humor. I realized just as shooting off your mouth can get you into an argument, or shot, on twitter it can cost you reputation if you’re a man, but get you fired if you’re a woman and as the gorilla moguls used to say in movieland in the 30s, “You’ll never work or have lunch in this town, again.”

That happened to a reporter, Felicia Somnez, when she took exception to a tweet of a male colleague which she found insulting to women.

She tweeted back, calling him out for his comment, and this created a lot of push back from men on the paper staff on twitter, and she pushed back. The male reporter was suspended for a month without pay.

The woman persisted and the editor fired her.

The fair thing would be to fire them both.

But no. They fired the woman.

This is a disgrace to that prominent newspaper that proposes to speak truth and justice to the world.

 They lost a lot of my respect.

Credibility has been sacrificed on the cross of chauvinism that women have been nailed to for years.

Meanwhile the office banter probably continues in that newsroom. The eyeballing in the newsroom continues. The snide comments of “well we fixed that ‘b—–.”

Can’t you hear them?

Fear among women who still work at that miserable hypocritical atmosphere, has been reinforced big time.

You have no freedom of speech if you’re a woman in that kind of workplace. Especially if management is embarrassed by it.

But corporations have a lot to be embarrassed about. They don’t like it exposed.

Women  will never feel good working there again.

Never be paid fairly in comparison to men or women who have played ball to obtain power.

Promotion will be a trickier process than ever

The decision is inexcusable. Unfair. Vicious.

But is a stupid decision too.

The organization was not smart.

But now a message has been sent.

Make no mistake.

There is no such thing as a benevolent, fair, responsible corporation.

You work, you slave for them on the conditions they want.

Not what you want.

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WPCNR THE POWER STORY. Special to WPCNR from Town of Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner. JUNE 10, 5:30 p.m. EDT:

During the past few years Greenburgh and 28 other local governments have participated in Sustainable Westchester’s ESCO. Sustainable Westchester has decided to pause their ESCO due to the volatile energy market. For the time being those residents enrolled in the ESCO will be receiving service from Con Ed. 

The following was prepared by Sustainable Westchester explaining their decision to put the ESCO on hold.

What is the Westchester Power Community Energy Program?

This program is a state-approved model that puts the control over energy choices in the hands of local communities. Launched in 2016, this municipally vetted and selected program is the default electricity SUPPLY option for utility customers in 29 participating Westchester communities– serving ~140,000 residents/small businesses. Electing for 100% Renewable energy at scale has helped Westchester participants mitigate over 1.1 million metric tons of CO2 emissions to date (the equivalent of 290,000 cars taken off the road for 1 year!).

Update: The Program will be entering a Pause in the Con Edison Territory

Sustainable Westchester has been working to secure a new electricity supply contract, to follow on after the June 30th end date of this current contract. While Sustainable Westchester continues to push forward with efforts to deliver the best economic value for participating residents and small businesses in this volatile energy market, we have decided that a pause in the electricity supply program in Con Edison territory is the best option as we watch the energy market. 

All current participants will be switched from the Westchester Power supply to Con Edison’s default supply starting on their 1st meter read after June 30. This means the billing cycle that starts after June 30. There will be no interruption in your electricity service.

Affected participants will receive a notification letter in the mail from Sustainable Westchester in the coming days, with details about the electricity supply service pause.

They will also receive a transfer notice from ConEdison indicating that they are receiving the standard electricity supply which is at a variable rate.

There is no action needed from residents to remain in the program when the program restarts. When we have the official re-start date in place, during the month prior, participants will receive a  re-enrollment letter with confirmation of their energy supply choice and the new rate. They will also receive instructions on how to change the energy supply option or opt-out of the program before the new rates are in effect.

Residents can pursue their own energy supply if they prefer. However, if a resident elects to sign an agreement with a private Energy Supply Company (ESCO) during the pause period, they will no longer be eligible for Westchester Power and will not be automatically re-enrolled into the program when it restarts.

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