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.
STANDARD AMUSEMENTS SETS A NEW PLAYLAND STANDARD WITH ENERGIZED, ENGAGING ENVIRONMENT. PULLS OFF OPENING –EVEN CUES THE SUN –DESPITE CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES. HUNDREDS OF SMILES YOUNG AND OLD AS STANDARD BRUSHES UP THE ATMOSPHERE
PLAYLAND PUTS ITS MAKEUP ON AND PUTS ON A SHOW!
WPCNR ENTERTAINMENT TODAY. By John F. Bailey. June 9, 2022:
The fun is back nonstop at Playland USA today as Opening Day defied the odds thanks to a resolute effort of the construction workers who got caught up just in time and unveiled a smiling, welcoming, clean and wholesome environment with spinning rides enough to keep you busy all day.
The Playland Concourse todayOne of the many school and community groups arriving mid morning
Buses of kids from groups around the area filled the park in a sun-splashed day.
Construction was not a problem or an impediment to enjoying the park. Plenty of snackbars with that great gooey pizza, fried chicken, funnel cake of the past and rides that thunder and zoom up in the sky.
The Derby Racer!
The kids loved the bumper cars. Braved the ultimate roller coaster thrill the Dragon Coaster. Kiddies were entertained in Kiddy Land with minirides we oldsters all remember.
The Dragon Returns!
Strolling minstrels entertained the crowds and the Playland staff hired by Standard has a runthrough under intense pressure of kids waiting on line and just racing off rides and getting back on.
As a couple of parents accompanying one of the youth groups said, the kids were loving the old favorites.
Parents brought their kids, and despite opening day delay at the centrally located admissions booth located midway down from the fountain plaza where a new admissions building is still under construction, but clean and walkable, with performance space that promises a lot for the future.
The colonnades a worker told me would have strong “high hat” lights inside them when construction resumes on them in the fall and the park would have “ a lot more lighting, it will look like Times Square.”
Ambience! Plenty!
Just like old times— though some overhead arches are still under construction they are not that noticeable. The park is neat as a pin. Plenty of fresh paint as been rapidly applied.
The old rides are back big time with big noise and big thrills. You like to get cool? The Plunge ride is back, the Log Plume is back, the squeals from riders getting splashed float across the park with the “whoas!” and the roars of the power thunder. The carousel is back minus the old time circus music, that may be back shortly.
Parents will be thrilled at the spontaneous shows in Kiddy Land where entertainers involve children in dancing.
Strolling musicians entertained the crowds of children giving the Playland employees their first taste of the crowds to come. When the children community groups came in starting after 11 A.M. they could not believe they raced into the park but at modest controlled pace and gawked and lined up. The first brave young people went for the Dragon Coaster which was the most popular ride all day. But so was the intimidating Derby Racer.
Only disappointment for me was the Kiddy Land Express was still at the station and not making its rides. That is scheduled to be making its runs in 2 weeks. New track has to be tested and the engine tested I was told.
WPCNR PLAYLAND TODAY.By John F. Bailey, June 8, 2022 UPDATED June 9, 2022::
Standard Amusements is scheduled to open Playland at 10:00 A.M. and closing at 3 P.M. On Friday Saturday and Sunday this weekend the new Playland opens at noon and closes at 10P.M. Next Week Playland will be open from 4 to 10 P.M. each evening on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and resume 12 to 10 P.M. hours on Friday. Admission information are at the bottom of the Pre-opening pictures shot by WPNCR yesterday.
June 10th is the last day to get the 2022 Season Pass (Includes Rides / All Ages) at the $84.99 EARLY BIRD PRICING(Regularly $129.99).
Construction crews have made significant progress to ready Playland, the last of the oldtime amusement parks (opened in 1928) for opening tomorrow, with the old favorites, the Carousel, the Steeplechase, Kiddyland, the Log Plunge, and the lagoon, and of course, the Dragon Coaster.
Here are the rides at the New Playland as Standard Amusements opens the park today, bear in mind not all rides may be open:
THRILL RIDES:Dragon Coaster, Dragonator, Go Karts, Log Flume, Old Rye Motorcycle Factory(coming new ride), Catch a Wave, Crazy Mouse, Derby Racer (I call it the Steeple Chase), Double Shot, The Plunge, The Whip, Yo Yo.
CHILDREN’S RIDES KIDDY LAND: Kiddy Scrambler, Kiddy Whip, Motorcycle Jump, Mushroom Rider, Playland Express (train), Red Baron, Jolly Caterpillar, Himalaya, Jump N Bean, Jungle Jammin, Antique Cars, Boat Ride, Convoy, Crazy Submarine, Flying Dragons, Fun Slide, Swing Around, Sun and Moon
FAMILY RIDES: Kite Flyer, Music Express, Ye Old Mill (old favorite, back again), Tornado, Zombie Castle (oldie but a scary).
Go to playland.com for more details on the Rides, click on “Rides.”
Poor fall weather produced significant delays due to rains each week followed by a winter with more rain and steady cold temperatures. The county changed contractors in January and since then the new contractors have done come from behind construction.
Westchester County has not announced an opening ceremony, and Standard Amusements has not advised WPCNR of the status of the park going forward, or any ceremonies recognizing the beginning of Standard Amusements Playland and what new rides will be opened and when the new pool will be opening and its status.
(Editor’s Note:On the website myrye.com, in early May, Ernie Blundell, the recently appointed General Manager of Standard Amusements, said, “We’re excited for visitors to see all the hard work that has gone into revitalizing this beloved community treasure.” Blundell told the Rye website that work on the colonnades would “resume” next fall and a Plaza retail store would be added and a Plaza Restaurant would be constructed.
In that article, MyRye.com reported there is a new arcade, new Midway Games and 3 more games would added later in the summer plus 3 new rides and a new fountain light show.)
There have been outstanding efforts by the construction company to make up lost time due to the weather with weekend work for the last three weeks I believe. Here is how Playland looked yesterday.
The Grand Entrance Fountain Plaza Tuesday morning. Workers were installing admission booths at the bottom of the tower to the left. Work continued on the new administration building on the right. The copper roofing is a splendid improvement.Scaffolding has been removed from the Bath House and pool entrance on the Boardwalk. The Walk was being cleaned for pedestrians yesterday.The newly renovated Administration Building housing County Police offices at right still had significant interior work to be completed.IceCasino to the right has been operating all winter.The Fountain Plaza Entrance to the rides and attractions . It is not known whether concessions will be operating, since Standard Amusements and Westchester County did not respond to WPCNR when called yesterday.The Fountain was in the process of being reconnected for Opening Day tomorrow.Picnic areas were being set up.The rides were getting excited!WATERS awaited for the first Log Plunge of the year.The eastern entrance Boardwalk which wraps all around the park to Rye City Park, ready to welcome strollers of all ages to the festive speaker systems playing the Summer Beatwith seaviews of Long Island SoundPlayland Lake pavillion. It is unclear at this time if the Lake Cruise will be back, or other boat-type rides will be available.The MIDWAY COLONNADES were getting finishing touches and new restrooms.The signature Colonnades that were replaced were getting painted yesterdayThe Dragon Coaster and a scary house of the past are ready!The Steeplechase left center, the Ferris Wheel and Kiddyland spruced up just still needing a little paint.The Playland Express with new track on its “Horseshoe Curve” is ready for kids big and small. My favorite ride.The Season Ticket Plans and single admission prices. Parking is $17 Weekends and $12 during the weekdays. For details go to the Playland.com websiteNEW PLAYLAND POOL IN PROGRESS. To WPCNR’s observation, the tiled terrace bordering the pool, is still under construction. The pool needs painting, but it is unclear if testing for leaks would be done before painting. The electric filtration system needs to be turned on and tested. The pool should, if all goes well open by the end of June, 3 weeks, maybe. No indication from the county or Standard Amusements on completion of the pool or the state of completion of the bath house.The pool has been under construction since September.
Governor Kathy Hochul today signed new legislation (S.4937C/A.6262B) to create more flexible rules for converting underutilized hotel space into permanent housing. Governor Hochul signed the bills with Senator Brian Kavanagh, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and housing and labor advocates.
“As New York’s housing crisis continues to impact families, we’re taking bold action, embracing innovative ideas and thinking outside the box to help ensure that New Yorkers can access safe, livable, and quality affordable housing,” Governor Hochul said. “This new law allows us to tackle the affordability crisis head-on and convert empty, underutilized spaces into homes. I thank Assembly Member Cymbrowitz and Senator Kavanagh for sponsoring this bill and taking this step to ensure that New Yorkers have a place to call home.”
“Converting underutilized hotel space into affordable housing will provide thousands of struggling New Yorkers an affordable home in locations that otherwise would have been inaccessible to them,” said Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. “Creative solutions like this provide equity in housing and help families who are experiencing homelessness or instability.”
State Senator Brian Kavanagh said, “Allowing conversion of underutilized hotel space into affordable permanent housing represents another critical step we are taking toward ending the crises of unaffordable housing, evictions, and homelessness that have gripped New York for far too long. I thank Assemblymember Steve Cymbrowitz for his partnership in getting this bill through the legislature, Governor Kathy Hochul for her strong leadership and her commitment to delivering on the promise of ensuring that everyone has access to an affordable place to live, Mayor Eric Adams for his advocacy and for the work his administration is prepared to do to convert hotels to homes, President Rich Maroko and the Hotel Trades Council for embracing this cause and always fighting for good jobs, Ted Houghton of Gateway Housing for his expertise and tireless work to get this done, and the many providers of affordable housing and advocates for housing, homes and services for homeless New Yorkers, and sensible land use policies that balance the need for housing and economic opportunity, who all played a critical role in enacting this legislation.”
Irena Portenko ( e mail below) irenaportenko@gmail.com is asking for YOUR HELP identifying possible housing for Ukrainian refugees who desperately needs housing.
Please e mail Irena if you can help. These families have gone through so much in recent months. It would be fantastic if our caring community would help these families during this tragic time in their lives. Please copy me on your e mails at pfeiner@greenburghny.com
Last week we got a request from someone from Chabad Rivertowns with news of a family that wants to come to America at the end of June or early July.
They have Humanitarian Parole through the United for Ukraine program. The family is from Bucha outside Kyiv, where their house was leveled through the Russian attacks. Their nest egg was there, so they lost everything except their car.
Artem, the husband, speaks fluent English. He codes in C#/.Net and can work for a software company when he gets his work visa. His wife was an architect but worked as a homemaker most recently. They have two kids, a four-year-old daughter turning 5 in November (Kindergarten next year?) and a one-year-old son. They are currently living in Poland.
They initially escaped across the border a week before the war started in February to Moldova. They got scared as the war began and moved to Poland as far west as possible as they were concerned the war would come to Moldova.
Then through local contacts, I heard about a young family from Ukraine that arrived a few days ago in Dobbs Ferry through United for Ukraine from Portugal. They have family in Dobbs Ferry.
The family members are Oleksandra Kushmela-30 years; Pavlo Kushmela-38years; and Ustym Kushmela-6years. Oleksandra was studying at Sevastopol National University of Nuclear Energy and Industry and after working at the Khmelnytska Nuclear Station. Pavlo studied English philology and worked as a seller manager after. She also has a florist diploma.
A Ukrainian woman is here in Brooklyn with her elderly mother, who is 91 years old. The older woman arrived on a B1/B2 visa (which can be extended) back in March and needs help with her hearing aid. She is deaf, and while in transit to the U.S., her hearing device broke down. They need help with housing.
ADOPT A NEIGHBORHOOD IN UKRAINE–HELP A UKRAINIAN BUSINESS
I recently had the opportunity to interview Sergei Glazunov on my WVOX1460 radio program. He is from Ukraine, experienced the shelters and early days of the war and now is trying to make contacts with the Westchester community – starting to make plans for the rebuilding of Ukraine. He can be reached at s.n.glazunov@gmail.com.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in helping a business in Ukraine re-start; assisting a neighborhood that was bombed during the war, connecting with neighborhood leaders in Ukraine , organizing an adopt a Ukraine neighborhood please contact Sergei.
We are writing to seek your help on a new project. Mandate Masks NY is putting together a guide to businesses, museums, and other public spaces in NYC and surrounding areas that are still requiring masks and other COVID-19 prevention efforts to protect people, including high-risk staff, customers, and visitors.
We would love your help on this project! Do you know of any businesses or other public spaces that are still requiring masks and other COVID-19 prevention efforts in NYC and surrounding areas? And/or can you help us find out?
To collect info, we have an online form here- https://forms.gle/eKsgsQy4FV9SRcNNA . Please fill this out with any businesses or other public places that you know of that are still requiring masks and other COVID prevention efforts. (ex: grocery stores, bookstores, museums, pharmacies, banks, laundromats, etc). We are currently focused on NYC and the surrounding areas, but may expand at a later date.
We would love your help in finding more places to add to our list! More info and tips about contacting businesses are on the form. For those on Instagram, we have been highlighting and thanking businesses that are still requiring masks on our page at @MandateMasksNY.
We have already had some businesses we reached out to reinstate their mask mandate after we contacted them about this!
If you are interested in getting more involved with the project and helping to organize, please send us an email.
Mordechay Malka and Matityau Malka Convicted of Scheme to Kidnap 14-Year-Old Girl and 12-Year-Old Boy From Their Mother
WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. June 6, 2022:
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that MORDECHAY MALKA and MATITYAU MALKA were convicted in White Plains federal court of kidnapping following a three-week jury trial.
The defendants, members of an extremist Jewish sect called Lev Tahor, participated in a scheme to kidnap a 14-year-old girl (“Minor-1”) and a 12-year-old boy (“Minor-2”) from their mother in Woodridge, New York in December 2018.
The kidnappers then smuggled the children across the U.S. border to Mexico, where they reunited Minor-1 with her adult “husband,” who she had religiously “married” when she was 13 years old.
After the children were recovered and returned to their mother, the defendants and their co-conspirators tried to kidnap the children a second time in March 2019.
Two co-conspirators, Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner, were previously convicted of kidnapping and sexual exploitation charges in connection with this case after an October 2021 trial and have each been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
According to the allegations contained in the Superseding Indictment, other court filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
MORDECHAY MALKA and MATITYAU MALKA are U.S. citizens and members of Lev Tahor, an extremist Jewish sect that has been located in several different jurisdictions, including New York, Israel, Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala.
In or about October 2018, the mother of Minor-1 and Minor-2 escaped from Lev Tahor’s compound in Guatemala and arrived in the United States in early November 2018.
Also in November 2018, a Brooklyn family court granted her sole custody of the children and prohibited the children’s father, a leader within Lev Tahor, from communicating with the children.
After the mother fled and settled in New York with her children, MORDECHAY MALKA and other Lev Tahor members devised a plan to return Minor-1 and Minor-2 to the Lev Tahor community. Then, in December 2018, the kidnappers took the children in the middle of the night from a home in upstate New York and transported them through various states and, eventually, to Mexico.
MORDECHAY MALKA and his co-conspirators used disguises, aliases, drop phones, fake travel documents, an encrypted application, and a secret pact to execute on their kidnapping plan. At the time of the kidnapping, Lev Tahor leadership was seeking asylum for the entire Lev Tahor community in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Following a three-week search involving hundreds of local, federal, and international law enforcement officers, Minor-1 and Minor-2 were recovered in Mexico and returned to their mother in New York.
Then, in March 2019, members of Lev Tahor again tried to kidnap the children. The leader of Lev Tahor, Nachman Helbrans, attempted another kidnapping of the children while incarcerated in Westchester, New York. MATITYAU MALKA acted as the operative on the ground to execute the attempted kidnapping.
* * *
MORDECHAY MALKA, 27, of Guatemala, and MATITAU MALKA, 30, of Guatemala, were convicted of one count of conspiring to commit international parental kidnapping, to unlawfully use a means of identification, and to enter by false pretenses the secure area of an airport, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. MORDECHAY MALKA was also convicted of two counts of international parental kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count. MATITYAU MALKA was also convicted of one count of attempted international parental kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI, United States Customs and Border Protection, the Department of State, the Transportation Security Administration, the New York State Police, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, the Village of Spring Valley Police Department, Special Agents with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, and Israel.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Jamie Bagliebter, Jim Ligtenberg, and Daniel Tracer, and paralegal specialist Shannon Becker, are in charge of the prosecution.
Big Cherry Council Chamber set. Too real for comfort.
WPCNR STAGE DOOR.Theatre Review by John F. Bailey. June 6, 2022:
It is so appropriate that I am writing this piece on the night the White Plains Common Council is holding its monthly meeting in public at 55 Main Street, City Hall.
However because I saw The Minutes at Studio 54 Saturday afternoon, I can never watch a Common Council Meeting or a town hall fact-finding community zoom again and take them seriously.
I took a reporter’s holiday Saturday to see The Minutes the upstart play reveals the truth hidden beneath the pretense, patronizing, sentimentality and traditions of city councils across this land.
Playwright Tracy Letts has captured the essence of town and county governing principles (or lack of principles), as they are practiced in communities in a play that once seen you will never forget.
That’s what inspired plays do. The Minutes is one of those. It crackles!
The Steppenwolf Theatre Company production at the majestic Studio 54 Theatre is a grandiose and pompous “governmental” environment fitting venue for a meeting of the fictional, but all too real Big Cherry Council meeting. The Big Cherry Council is insightful, satiric, ultimately devastating commentary on how governing bodies work, not just in America, (where it’s go along to get along, maybe, but never results) but everywhere.
You as the live attendees of the City Council meeting take seats in the Chamber with the Sousa classic Stars and StripesForever playing in the impressive still empty “City Council Chamber of the Town of Big Cherry” (set meticulously real by David Zinn) for one night.
It is about to be called to order by Tracy Letts, the writer of the crackling, fraught with fear and zinged with bolts of truth and consequences council meeting like no other you’ve seen.
But in reality you have.
Tracy Letts, playwright and lead actor is the facilitating orchestrating dominating Mayor Superba conducting his city council of actors, spot-on mimicking the foibles and Roberts Rules of Order, ordinances and explanations for “missing minutes” raised by new councilperson Mr. Peel, played by insistent self-righteous and relentness Noah Peel of “Schitt’s Creek.” Councilman Peel who did not attend the previous Council session and wonders where the minutes are.
As this realistic portrayal of a typical City Council meeting unfolded, I laughed so hard, a little too loudly having seen far too many similar real life exchanges at Council meetings the last twenty two years– this was like Down Memory Lane
As Mayor Letts called the meeting order, there was the elderly councilman Oldfield played with hilarious timing by Austin Pendleton in opening remarks drawing attention to the now vacated City Hall parking space and when it would be assigned. Mr. Pendleton’s “Councilman Oldfield” loses track of the items being discussed with hilarious inattentive questions. The audience loved him.
First up is a presentation of a design for a new fountain for the town square by Councilman who has researched designs and wishes to use the design of his sister for the fountain who is disabled, and have the fountain accessible. This was so reminiscent of every council presentation of a project – especially the old Fountain presentation years ago.
Councilman Carp’s design was sharply criticized for costs and making the fountain handicapped accessible. Wow! I thought I had stepped back in time. I have seen so many of those presentations. All that was missing were the lawyers. Councilman Carp should have called the usual lawyer experts to handle Council to finesse objections.
Then attention turns to renaming the Big Cherry Festival, suggested by K. Todd Freeman, the lone black councilman who feels the festival should be renamed Lincoln Smackdown to reflect more of the black experience that raised the Mayor Superba’s incredulous protest, “You feel Lincoln did not do enough for black people,” one of Mr. Letts’ best written sequences.
This leads to the new councilman Peele (who supports the fountain what was so important about the Big Cherry Festival and the play bursts into the City Council reenacting the famous rescue of a pioneer family from Indians that is part of the town lore.
As this winds down…the city council audience has no idea about what is to come.
Blair Brown as Ms. Innes, the City Clerk is continually asked by Mr. Peel about the missing minutes. Ms. Brown with the aplomb of City Clerks everywhere keeps explaining they were not ready. Ms. Brown in an interview said she was a city clerk at one time. She is so realistic totally unflustered and official in the attitude City Clerks have, it is in their DNA.
Then it appears, Ms. Brown under close questioning by the relentless upstart Councilman, Mr. Peel, reveals there were notes.
After a tense vote, (fraught with the drama characterizing many a key White Plains Common Council vote), the Big Cherry council votes to hear Clerk Innes read the notes contain the testimony of the resigned member of the council who arrives to recite his remarks and the real story of why the minutes were missing.
The question after the minutes are read, reenacted by the missing Councilmember Carp (Ian Bradford) in a compelling story of discovery is — what does the council do about the truth? What does Mr. Peel do after he learns the truth?
The council audience in the theatre sees what the City Council decides to do.
The ending is to be expected.
The City Council does what every council does.
They do the right thing for the cityl
The Minutes is a limited engagement through July 24.
Critic Warning Disclaimer: Thinking, introspection raised if you chose to attend this meeting of the Big Cherry City Council.
Persons viewing the shocking ending of this work will be subject to thoughts as to what would you do? What should the City Council do? What would be best for the city? Could you live with the City Council decision? How would you vote? Could you stay true to your principles?
The play is Shakespeare in impact
Mr. Letts weaves in the issues of self-perception, staying true to oneself and betraying oneself.
It is realistic in how a city council or governing body hides a lot of the truth to the public and never admits mistakes.
It is unflinching in portraying strengths (assuming there are some) and weaknesses (which are starkly revealed in this play, fear is one) of many representative panels making decisions.
It is unrealistic in one glaring respect, this is a city council that asks a lot of questions. Most councils do not.
One total inaccuracy
The Big Cherry Council lasted 90 minutes.
If you are ever even thinking about running for City or Common Council, Townboard anywhere, Americans, this play will cure you! It is acid reality.
