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)

AUGUST 19– GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES SHARPLY INCREASED ENFORCEMENT TARGETING SPEEDING, DRUNK DRIVING, RECKLESS DRIVING, AGGRESSIVE DRIVING SEPT 19 TO SEPT. 7

Posted on August 19, 2026 by John Bailey

Additional Enforcement to Target Impaired and Reckless Drivers During ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Campaign Aug. 19 – Sept. 7

Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that New York State Police, County Sheriffs’ Offices, and local law enforcement will be increasing patrols and checkpoints to crack down on impaired and reckless driving during the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign, which will run Wednesday, August 19 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7.

“New York is a great place, with our scenic trails and world-class state parks, to enjoy the end of summer and the Labor Day holiday,” Governor Hochul said. “I want everyone to have a wonderful time and make happy memories. Just know that if you make the irresponsible choice to drive impaired or recklessly, law enforcement will be out in force and showing zero tolerance. Their job is difficult so please don’t make it tougher: drive responsibly.”

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Acting Commissioner Christian Jackstadt said,

“As the summer season draws to a close heading into Labor Day weekend, our roadways are going to be handling a lot of travelers. Whether you are taking on a road trip or celebrating locally, please follow the rules of the road – don’t speed, avoid distractions and never, ever drive impaired. I thank our dedicated law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to removing impaired and reckless drivers from our highways.”

During the 2025 campaign, law enforcement officers statewide issued 131,245 tickets during the enforcement, including 4,125 arrests for impaired driving and 24,905 citations for speeding.

Enforcement Mobilization

State Police and local law enforcement agencies will conduct sobriety checkpoints and increase patrols during the enforcement period.

Law enforcement will use both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles to help identify motorists who are violating the law.

CITE vehicles allow police to better observe driving violations. While these vehicles blend in with everyday traffic, they are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Labor Day weekend reflects the hard work and achievements of American workers and concludes the final few weeks of summer. While we want everyone to enjoy this time, we want them to do so responsibly. There’s no excuse for impaired driving; and it takes little to no effort to arrange for a safe ride home. We will continue to work with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to crack down on drivers who make our roads unsafe for others.”

New York State Association of Chiefs of Police President, Brighton Police Department Chief David Catholdi said, “As Labor Day is approaching, the New York State Chiefs of Police want to remind motorists that driving safely is everyone’s responsibility. Whether you’re traveling across town or across the state, slow down, stay alert, and look out for one another. We want everyone to enjoy the holiday period and return home safely.” 

New York State Sheriffs’ Association President, Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa said,  “When someone drives impaired or recklessly, they put themselves, their passengers and the public at risk. Have a plan to get home safely. The message is simple: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and be a safe, courteous driver. The Sheriffs of New York State want you to enjoy the rest of summer and the Labor Day weekend in a smart way by not driving impaired.”

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee urges drivers to use the STOP-DWI Have a Plan app to help them get home safely. The free app allows users to designate a driver, call a cab or ride share, and to review the consequences of impaired driving. Users can even use the app to report a drunk or drugged driver. The app is available for Apple, Android and Windows smartphones.

Motorists are also reminded to follow the State’s Move Over Law, which requires all drivers to slow down and move over when safe to do so for all vehicles stopped along the roadway.

AUGUST 19–OPTIMUM SERVICE IS BACK IN WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA. RESTORED AS OF THIS AFTERNOON CITY HALL CONFIRMMS!

Posted on August 19, 2026 by John Bailey

WPCNR MEDIA WATCH. By John F. Bailey. UPDATED August 19, 2026 10:30 A.M. EDT:

Katie Primm, Communications Director, told WPCNR this afternoon Optimum restored half of White Plains Optimum customers last night and the company has told the city the restoration of the rest of the city would be “tentatively” completed tonight.

IT IS BACK TONIGHT

MS. PRIMM IN A STATEMENT TO WPCNR WRO

“The moment we hung up, I had a call from the Cable department saying that both the Government and Public channels are now back up and running on Cablevision.”

Ms. Primm said Optimum “has been very cooperative and responsive.” She told WPCNR, the outage (which knocked out access to White Plains Community Media with website visitors unable to download programming from the site and programming on channel 76) was traced to a private building in the city that apparently had “misplaced a wire” which was given as the cause of the city wide optimum loss.

Ms. Primm said the city website and all media programming to Verizon customers was not affected.

AUGUST 18–Senator Gillebrand Calls ’em as She Sees Them

Posted on August 18, 2026 by John Bailey

GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON TRUMP’S WAR IN IRAN

Washington, D.C. – Today, following the official lapse of President Trump’s 60-day ceasefire deal with Iran and his threat to broaden and prolong the war even further by bombing Oman, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement:

“Every day that Trump’s reckless war drags on is another day that working families suffer. Americans are struggling to fill up their gas tanks, pay their soaring utility bills, and put food on the table, all while their president spends billions of taxpayer dollars fighting a war he had no reason to start in the first place.

Now, with no peace deal in sight and no objectives achieved, Trump is threatening to drop even more bombs in the Middle East – this time on one of our allies. His actions are an embarrassment, his war is a failure, and the American people are paying the price.”

AUGUST18– CRIMESTOPPERS!

Posted on August 18, 2026 by John Bailey

SAFER STREETS: GOVERNOR HOCHUL AND POLICE COMMISSIONER TISCH

HIGHLIGHT RECORD-BREAKING CRIME REDUCTION IN PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS NEW YORK CITY

The Governor’s investments and the City and State’s crime-fighting partnership continue to deliver results in public housing developments across New York City – breaking the record for the fewest murders, shot Murders, Shooting Incidents, Shooting Victims and Robberies in Public Housing in Recorded History: FEWEST shooting incidents, shooting victims and robberies through the first seven months of the year.

This year 2026, , Governor Hochul announced an additional $77 million commitment to enhance NYPD resources – building on the previous $77 million in State funding that was already invested in FY 2026, for a total of more than $150 million invested and committed for NYPD resources since 2025.

“When I became Governor, I made public safety my top priority. For the last five years, I have made unprecedented investments in public safety — nearly $4 billion — to support law enforcement and their efforts to tackle crime head-on,” Governor Hochul said. “Every dollar we invest and every partnership we build strengthens our efforts to make New York safer. I remain grateful to Police Commissioner Tisch and the brave men and women of law enforcement who are instrumental in this work. Their continued dedication to driving down crime is producing real, measurable results for our communities.”

The NYPD’s Housing Bureau is responsible for the safety of nearly half a million residents, employees, and visitors across the city’s housing developments. By working in close coordination with resident patrols, community groups, and development managers, the Bureau remains dedicated to effectively reducing crime and improving the quality of life in and around New York City’s public housing developments.

Governor Hochul and NYPD Commissioner Tisch today visited Police Service Area (PSA) 2, which serves Brooklyn North. PSA 2 patrols 42 developments within the 73rd, 75th, and 77th precincts and has achieved the strongest crime reduction in Brooklyn so far this year. Within this service area, shooting incidents fell 40 percent and shooting victims are down 45.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

Across New York City, major crime in public housing declined 6.3 percent (3,174 vs. 3,387) between January and July of this year.

Murders down 45 percent (11 vs. 20),

Shooting incidents down 33.3 percent (54 vs. 81),

Shooting victims down 35.2 percent (59 vs. 91), and

Robberies down 19.3 percent (419 vs. 519).

Governor Hochul’s continued investment in law enforcement enables the NYPD to maintain approximately 5,000 hours of daily Enhanced Transit Safety Overtime and supports the continued deployment of mobile field forces and enhanced resources on trains and platforms.

Last week, Governor Hochul updated New Yorkers on her record investments in public safety, which have contributed to a significant reduction in crime and gun violence throughout her tenure as Governor. To date, the Governor has invested nearly $4 billion in public safety initiatives — including gun violence prevention, subway safety, hate crime prevention and border security — while providing historic support for local and state law enforcement from Long Island to Buffalo.

As a result, New York State has seen a 10 percent decrease in index crime, with reductions across all seven crime categories and a more than 60 percent decline in shooting deaths since the Governor’s first full year in office.