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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Latimer said: “The first four years of our administration were all about fixing what was broken. We inherited a number of fiscal problems and first and foremost, we needed to get Westchester County back on solid financial ground. But more than that, we created a template that results matter to us. We did not accept that we couldn’t build a new family court in New Rochelle. We did not accept that the historic Elijah J. Miller House was going to collapse. We did not accept that Sprain Ridge Pool would not be open again for children and families to enjoy. We believe in results. We are doing everything we can to improve the lives of Westchester County’s residents, and that is exactly what we plan to do with the second term that is before us.”

Jenkins said: “We accomplished a lot during our first term in office, and we have a lot that we can feel proud of. We are finally starting to see real progress in every aspect across our County, on infrastructure projects, environmental upgrades and key social justice issues. I thank County Executive George Latimer for his leadership throughout the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, and know that we will take the four years we have ahead of us to achieve much more success.”

Latimer’s Oath was administered by New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Quiñones, 9th Judicial District, while Jenkins’s Oath was administered by Administrative Judge Anne Minihan, 9th Judicial District.

During his tenure as County Executive, Latimer has upheld an impressive record of achievements including three consecutive County property tax cuts and credit rating stabilization. He is also responsible for bringing several long-standing infrastructure projects to fruition, including updates to Playland Park and the North and South County Trailways. Latimer has broken ground on the restoration of Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, and unveiled the County’s 9/11 First Responders Memorial on the 20th Anniversary of the September 11 attacks, dedicated to the heroes who passed away from 9/11 related illnesses.

Chairwoman Catherine Borgia and Vice Chairwoman Nancy Barr

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators. January 4, 2022:

The Board of Legislators began the 2022-2023 legislative term electing District 9 Leg. Catherine Borgia as Chair, and District 6 Leg. Nancy Barr as Vice Chair, during a special meeting Monday night.

Borgia is only the second woman to serve as Chair, following the late Hon. Lois Bronz, who chaired the Board 20 years ago, in 2002-2003. This is the first time in the Board’s history that women will simultaneously fill both the Chair and Vice Chair posts.

The election of Borgia (D – Cortlandt, Croton on Hudson, Ossining, Briarcliff Manor, Peekskill) and Barr (D – Harrison, Rye Brook, Port Chester) followed the swearing in of all 17 legislators. Those sworn in include new Legislators Erika Pierce (D- Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers) in District 2, Jewel Williams Johnson (D – Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Elmsford, Greenburgh) in District 8, and James Nolan (R – Bronxville, Yonkers) in District 15.  District 13 Leg. Tyrae Woodson-Samuels (D – Mount Vernon) celebrated his first swearing in to a full term on the Board.  Leg. Christopher Johnson (D – Yonkers) will serve as Majority Leader. Leg. Jose Alvarado (D – Yonkers) will serve as Majority Whip. Leg. Margaret Cunzio (C – Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville, North Castle) will serve as Minority Leader. Leg. James Nolan will serve as Minority Whip.

Borgia becomes Chair after a long career in public service: working in the New York State Assembly as a staffer for several years, serving on the Village of Ossining Board of Trustees, and then serving two terms as Supervisor of the Town of Ossining before being elected to the Board of Legislators in 2012.

Borgia served as Chair of the Board’s Government Operations Committee in 2012-2013 and then as the Democratic Majority Leader for the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 terms. She championed historic, life-changing legislation including the Immigrant Protection Act, Employee Earned Sick Leave, Safe Leave, the Fair Chance to Work Act, Co-op Disclosure, and the Wage History Discrimination Law.

She served as the Board’s Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair for the 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 terms. During that time, she worked with the County Executive’s administration and her colleagues on the Board to pass budgets that cut the county’s property tax levy and rebuilt the county’s reserve funds while investing in the county’s infrastructure and providing much needed services for county residents, especially during a global pandemic.

Borgia said, “I am humbled by the support and confidence of my colleagues who elected me as Chair of the Board of Legislators. I look forward to working with the County Executive, our new leadership team, the entire legislature, and our partners in federal, state and local government, to lead Westchester through this pandemic and on to better days. We will continue to provide the resources needed to help every resident of Westchester thrive.” 

Nancy Barr comes to the office of Vice Chair having served on the Blind Brook School Board for six years, including as President and Vice President. Barr was first elected to the Board of Legislators for the 2018-2019 term.

Since joining the Board, Barr has worked diligently on environmental issues, including passage of a ban on expanded polystyrene food containers and advocating for the expansion of the county’s compostable waste program. She has worked to protect county residents by introducing and passing the Wage Theft Law and championing the creation of the county’s Advisory Board on People with Disabilities. She was instrumental in raising the age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21 years old.

Barr has served as Chair of the Law and Major Contracts and Environment and Health Committees, and represents the legislature on the Airport Advisory Board, Soil and Water Conservation Board, and the Farmland Agriculture Board.

Barr said, “I am honored to have been selected by my colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Board for the 2022-2023 term. We are fortunate to have a Board comprised of many intelligent and dedicated individuals and I am looking forward to working with all of them to improve people’s lives in Westchester County. I am especially excited to serve with Chairwoman Borgia, as she has been an exemplary role model for me over the last four years. I believe that together we will be strong advocates for a safer, stronger and more sustainable Westchester.”

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WPCNR STATE OF THE PLAGUE.  FROM NYS COVID TRACKER. ANALYSIS By John F. Bailey. January 3, 2021.

This afternoon will deliver a better fix on whether the shock of 7,000 new positives a day in Westchester County is  over when the positives for Friday are reported.

The December 30 positive numbers issued Sunday night indicate a drop of 50%  or more for Westchester, the 6 other Mid-Hudson Counties,  and the runway leaders in infections Nassau and  Suffolk Counties.  The onslaught of new positives the first 5 days of the last week of 2021 was the highest positives a week ever during the plague. The across-board-the halfing of positives was a welcome respite in the march of covid across the metropolitan area.

New York City’s five boroughs recorded  47, 346 LESS infections than  the day before December 29 when the city recorded  82,996.

 If Westchester continues on the 3,000 infections a day trend it will have slightly less than 20,000 infections the last week of 2021. If positives continue declining on new Covid-19 Tracker reports the next week this will be an indicator that predictions of a covid fade in two weeks will be happening.

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WPCNR The Sunday Bailey. News & Comment by John F. Bailey. January 2, 2022:

This is one of the saddest days of the year.

Brenda Starr always insists we take the Christmas Tree down.

 I remember years ago we kept a tree up in our apartment until February because we did not want to take it down. We eventually  eased the tree off the terrace of our Tarrytown apartment over the railing and into the parking lot below because the needles were dropping so much it would have made a trail of pine needles down the carpeted hall to the elevator through the luxury lobby. I felt that might have gotten us evicted.

But now we are much more on a schedule. Bridge on line. Reading the daily book quota. Writing up the news. Feeding the demanding cat on her (the cat’s) schedule, The tree has to go out today because of my schedule during the week.

 The last day of the two week holiday is by the decree of the editor, Ms. Starr has to be reserved for UN-decorating the tree.

Taking the lights off. Extricating the tree from its stand and pushing it out the backdoor.

The tree was so perfect and congenial this year. Perfect shape. Highly hospital every evening during mandatory Netflixing, Britboc, Acorn, and Amazon Prime video watching.

But then, every husband, boyfriend, or significant other who picks the tree always picks the perfect tree.

As I wrote two weeks ago, a Christmas Tree is like your wife, you know her when you first see her.

The tree is happy to be selected. It adapts to whatever holiday frivolities are placed upon it.

The highlight of every pinetree’s short life is being selected to be a Christmas Tree.

The tree never wants to leave your home, and you are always sad to be removing the bulbs, the icicles, ornaments of long ago. The pictures of children when they were young.

The Christmas Tree when fully decorated is a work of art of the memories of your life, good times, how you felt at different times of your years as a family. It is the Ghost of Christmas Past and Christmas Today.

In an uncanny alchemy of feelings and memories, looking at the decorations takes you back in time and parents, grandparents, doting aunts and uncles, once more are with you whenever you look at the ornaments you have hung.

When we gradually removed them today, I removed the bulbs and, Ms. Starr put them away (she is very organized) in their old cardboard boxes. When I broke one, she said I was removing them carelessly prompting a spat. But I pointed out it was still hangable next year.

When you get to be my age you do not know if this is your last Christmas Tree, so each year I pick one out, I enjoy the process and the decorating, the specialness of the season and the choosing of my gifts with care.

The socializing we all used to enjoy decades ago still remains fresh in our memories.

But, because of the relentless palor of the spread of covid now engulfing our community. We could not see friends as we usually do.

We saw our children. Which is always a pleasure because they do not live far away.

Now on this last day of the Christmas Tree, this muted Merry, not jolly Christmas, the tree made the season.

When I was trying to lift the tree, still standard stalwart and shining down to just its natural coat of branches, it seemed particularly hard to lift out of its stand.

Despite all  screws of the stand being unfastened, it seemed to be hanging onto the stand with its stalwart sturdy stump. I kept gently trying to lift it out of the stand three times.

Still it would not release the stand.

On my next try, I embraced the tree.

It seemed to embrace me back.

It lifted out easily.

It was saying goodbye.

I will miss it.

The perfect tree was departing after another perfect Christmas.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS MONITOR. Derived from the Coronavirus Workbook updated as of 4:15 P.M Saturday. Observations by John F. Bailey. January 1, 2022:

Covid new infections are sweeping Westchester County and the 6 other counties in Mid-Hudson Valley and doubling number of infections in Long Island and all of New York City. New York City went from 43,135 new positives last Tuesday to 82,996 on Wednesday. (The Covid Workbook is reports two days behind in results..)

Westchester County doubled the number of positive covid persons in one day, going from 3,602 positives Tuesday to 7,659 Wednesday, a 46.1% increase in our county. This is a disturbing development.

Infections are out of control in Orange and Rockland Counties through Wednesday, too. Orange doubled new cases to 3,394 compared to 1,624 on Tuesday. Rockland doubled in new covid cases jumping from 1,536 to 3,212. Dutchess lept from 722 Tuesday to 1,560 Wednesday, also doubling covid new cases. Putnam came close to double new positives, going from519 cases Tuesday to 1,039. A startling increase there Putnam, 45.2 %.. Ulster and Sulivan counties continued the trend up 31% and 43.4%.

NASSAU COUNTY had 44.6% more positives, 15,062, while SUFFOLK was recorded for a 53.9% in crease to 12,350.

The Washington Post yesterday reported that cases in South Africa showed persons not getting ill as seriously from the Omicron variant ( attributed to be more contagious and highly responsible for the remarkable surge in covid infections). The Post also reported the omicron positive patients in South African experienced lower rates of hospitalizatins. A New York Times article published today said that United Kingdom has found in studies on mice and hamsters the omicron variant infects more the throat and windpipe, rather than going deep into the lungs.

However mostly young people were infected who are better equipped to fight the disease. With the U.S. having an older population the infections may afflict the population more seriously. It was predicted the virus may go down in infections in about two weeks.

However it should be noted that the infections are seriously spreading at the rate of 8 persons being infected by every one person testing positive two weeks ago in Westchester County.

Two weeks ago on December 15, Westchester had 938 new cases. If you divide 7,650 new infections on December 29, by 938, you get considering this week infections so far, 7,650 Wednesday in Westchester. Those persons could bring us more infections approaching 62,000 persons by the end of the week January 9 to 15.

If hosptializations continue at the 125 person rate as it was a week ago, this means these 7,650 in cases in Westchester if they continue to be less seriously ill may only generate a 13% hospitalization rate but that still would mean 972 hospitalizations of those 7650. The 972 would not threaten Westchester available beds capacity if hospitalizations continued to go up slowly.

But if hospitalizations go up as they seem be doing, 50 a month ago compared to 125 as of a week ago and the omicron infects us more seriously, the positive spread rate may quickly fill up Westchester County bed capacity. Consider that the 7650 total is only one day of infections! If they all everyday hospitalized at the 124 rate we will have close to 6,000 a week in hospitalizations. by the end of January 15.