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)

Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the City Sanitary Sewer? Beverly Road Knows.

Posted on May 1, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR’S The Daily Bailey. By John F. Bailey. May 1, 2007: Last week, WPCNR asked a logical question.

What is City Hall doing about the sewer pipe diameter mismatch down on Beverly Road that has existed for some time and been blamed by the county for the Beverly Road sewage backups. I asked Paul Wood, the Mayor’s Executive Officer this question and Mr. Wood has yet to get back to me.

Since the Commissioner of Public Works knew about the 20 inch – 16 inch discrepancy between city and county sewer pipes, which County Commissioner of Environmental Facilities Anthony Landi says was responsible for the effluent backing up into homes in the Beverly Road area, can we get an answer about what’s being done so this does not happen at the next downpour? It will because backups have occurred before the April 15 deluge. An answer please, Mr. Wood? What steps are the county and the city taking immediately to make sure this does not happen again?

If I’m a homeowner and it happens to me again because of this action or lack of action, what do you think I am going to do? My property value has been compromised, my quality of life put at risk, my belongings and possessions ruined. Other than the great job the Department of Public Safety did pumping out basements, the city has shown no interest in these victims of infrastructure ineptitude – on a preexisting condition the city knew about.

To our knowledge, the residents down there never even received the benefit of political figures surveying and smelling the damage.

And where is Dennis Power, the councilman who works for the County Department of Environmental Facilities? He should be on top of this issue for those poor people? Where is the rest of the Common Council on this matter?

Could this mismatch in diameter between two sewer pipes be being aggravated by too much effluent coming from JPI, the City Center apartments and Trump Tower — as well as illegal connections blamed by the White Plains Commissioner of Public Works?

Shoudn’t the Common Council get to the bottom of this with both the County and the City?

Bradley on Earth Day

Posted on May 1, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley, 89th District. May 1, 2007: There is a Native American proverb that says “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors – we borrow it from our children.” Earth Day represents an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our stewardship of the planet we’re leaving for them. The Assembly marked this year’s celebration of Earth Day Monday by addressing longstanding environmental issues in our state and country with proactive legislation to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren.

The legislative package takes positive steps toward protecting our natural resources and ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment. I’ve long been an advocate for a more comprehensive environmental policy that guarantees future generations will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of our communities.

Our Earth Day package included legislation I authored to allow individuals the power to protect our environment and challenge, through legal court proceedings, those who cause ecological harm (A.1435). Under current law, an individual can be prohibited from bringing forth a lawsuit if he or she witnesses environment abuse. That’s not the way the system is supposed to work. We need to permit these important legal challenges; everyone should have the right to question the findings of State Environmental Quality Review Act proceedings.

We also passed several measures to improve our state’s environmental regulations and promote smarter, healthier and greener standards for everyone, including business, residents and government. Specifically, the legislation tackles global warning by promoting energy efficiency, keeping our waters clean and curbing pollution. The measures would:

· establish the Climate Change Solutions Program and Fund to direct money from the auction of emissions allowances associated with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) toward increasing energy efficiency, encouraging the development of clean, renewable sources of energy and advancing other air quality goals (A.7365 and A.7366);

· require that all new construction and renovation of state buildings must comply with the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Rating levels by using energy, water and land more efficiently and effectively (A.2005);

· mandate the testing of drinking water from private wells when a property is sold or transferred – reducing the risk that new property owners will unknowingly drink contaminated drinking water (A.7231); and

· require that state infrastructure funding be consistent with smart growth principles, with priority given to existing infrastructures and projects that are consistent with local governments’ plans for development – instead of new, expansive, and expensive infrastructure that harms the environment and is costly to taxpayers (A.7335).

I’m dedicated to improving our environment and ensuring its integrity for future generations. As Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Department of Environmental Conservation, I have a professional commitment to the environment. But I also have a duty to reach out to elected officials, business leaders and New York residents to encourage decisions that contribute to improving our quality of life. That starts with protecting one of our most valuable resources – our environment.

Layers of Raw Emotions All Generations Feel Richly Rendered by Lucy Kaplansky

Posted on April 29, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. By John F. Bailey. April 29, 2007: Westco Productions continues to be the leader in presenting artists who connect viscerally with Westchester audiences. Producer Susan Katz proved that again Friday evening at The Irv (Irvington Town Hall Theater) delivering the impossible-to-forget, can’t-ignore-it, compelling stylings of a real folk singer with 2007 savvy, Lucy Kaplansky. She held the audience from first chord to last lilting tribute to her father, backed by the cascading diamonds of sound created by her sideman, Duke Levine, whose marvelous riffs echo and reinforce Ms. Kaplansky’s words.

Westco Producer Susan Katz, left with Lucy Kaplansky after Ms. Kaplansky’s performance Friday evening.

From the so-true lyric, she and her husband wrote for her daughter I will be with you when you remember me, to the intimate richly sexual depth she and Levine give to the simplistic Ring of Fire, Ms. Kaplansky shoves the knife edge of feeling deep into you, recalling those wild feelings in our lives that drive us to do the things lovers, parents, and children do—the irrational romantic fascinations, the heroic sacrifices, the self- destructive, to self pity with an edge — softened by Ms. Kaplansky’s vocal delivery.

Kaplansky’s dark intense eyes and her ramble of hair personifies honesty of feeling without apology accompanies herself on one big guitar. Her multi-faceted blunt, get-into-your-head contralto goes from murmur to hurt to triumph with modulation that you go with. Her voice plays your heart.

Her singing is embellished by guitarman Levine’s laying down beds of the most involving guitar enhancements for a vocalist I’ve heard in years and The Irv’s great acoustics just gets the sound into your soul and heart. Kaplansky herself said after the concert The Irv delivered just incredible sound

Levine and Kaplansky are in harmony of feeling – looking at each other and playing their feelings into each other

. Kaplansky paints the words that cut, wound, warm, slash, stroke and soothe like a sculptress’s hands while Levine on four different guitars and a mandolin enhances the feelings in the listener softening, and swelling her voice’s words. You paid attention to every song in this concert. The Irv audience hung on her every phrase, absorbing and surrendering to the feelings Kaplansky brought to the surface in them once more. From her first song Born Again by Woody Guthrie to her last a tribute to her father, her songs put into feelings our lives.

She introduces feelings you’ll remember: the fascination with a lover: “I just like hearing you talk.” (I mean, I remember feelings like that.) Over the Hills, the ballad that describes a child growing up hits home with every parent and had parents in the audience understanding thinking and tear-ing up. Her ballad about her grandmother, Molly, describes a time when a woman’s choices were different produced a whole range of sadness, resentment, bitterness,and chronicle of change. But it makes you feel good.

Kaplansky’s concerts are strong, involving emotionally hard to take music that make you wake up and feel again, sometimes a little too much than you want to and make you remember a lot more than you want to.

It’s folk music again – Kaplansky painting the picture of the human condition — the only thing missing is the cigarette smoke and some espresso, to complete the picture, and some guys with goatees and berets in shades – nodding their heads and saying, “Yeah, man. Cool. Solid. Out of sight.”

There was no song in the 2 hour show that did not move you, and that is way unusual. Kaplansky uplifts you as you explore her own personal journeys in song. Her patter in between songs lets you into her heart and personal life. Her ability to make the audience feel like a group of intimate friends of long-standing, builds an emotional rapport that shines up our seldom used emotions and validates our ability to feel again.

Ms. Kaplansky stayed after the show, signing scores of CDs for her fans in the near sellout crowd. Ms. Katz and Peter Katz look on.

Only Westco’s impresarios, the Katzs, Susan and Peter Katz are bringing performers of this sophisticated caliber to the county. From Judy Collins, to Livingston Taylor, and now Ms. Kaplansky, Westco this season has had the Merrick Touch. The popular concerts Westco produces help to fund their performances for local hospitals, schools and their programs for the handicapped and youth theatre programs.

Susan Katz on stage after the show on the Irvington Town Hall Proscenium — the best sounding little theatre in Westchester — that performers just love to perform on.

Next up for Westco is the Irish artist, Maura O’Connell at The Irv on June 17 – who not only does Irish fare but repertroires all over the musical landscape.

FEMA Opening 2 More Disaster Centers in County

Posted on April 29, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From County Department of Communications. April 29, 2007: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened its second Disaster Recovery Center in Westchester, with the county’s Department of Social Services and Community Mental Health there to help local residents and business owners recover from the storm.

The new center is at the Eastchester Public Library, 11 Oakridge Place. A third center is at the New Rochelle Emergency Operations Center, 90 Beaufort Place.

The first center opened earlier this week at the Senior Nutrition Community Center at the Mamaroneck Town Center, 740 W. Boston Post Road. The hours for all centers are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 days a week.

At these centers, storm victims can get help filling out applications and work with representatives of FEMA and the Small Business Administration to get information about disaster aid. The county Department of Social Services is there to help storm victims apply for food stamps and receive any other assistance. Counselors from the Community Mental Health are also there to provide counseling referrals and help people cope with the losses they suffered during the storm.

“FEMA and SBA will provide some money that local residents and businesses desperately need to begin to recover from the storm,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “And Westchester County will help fill in the gaps, to make sure that storm victims have food, shelter and counseling, if they need it.”

On Thursday, 80 people came to the center that opened in Mamaroneck, and 1,135 people in Westchester have already registered with FEMA for aid. FEMA is expected to open other centers in Westchester within the next few days in other hard hit areas of the county.

While there are some phones at the centers for storm victims to use, FEMA is encouraging individuals and businesses to register first by phone or online before coming to the center.

To register with FEMA, call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) (hearing/speech impaired ONLY- call TTY: 1-800-462-7585) between the hours of 8 am to 8 p.m. or go to FEMA’s web site at www.fema.gov. If you need additional help, you can visit the Disaster Recovery Center in your area, but you do not have to go to a center to apply for aid.

When you register, remember to:

1) Write down your case number. When you register, FEMA will provide you with a case number. Write that down and keep it in a safe place. An inspection of your home will probably be required. The inspector will call you and give you his name and set a time and date for the appointment. To prevent possible fraud, please check this information with anyone who comes to your door claiming to be from FEMA. Don’t let the person in unless they are able to give you the case number.

2) Fill out the SBA application. After registering with FEMA, you will receive a packet and a loan application from the U.S. Small Business Administration. To receive any aid, the loan application must be filled out, regardless of whether you are a homeowner, renter or business and even if you are want a grant and not a loan. The loan application must be filled out and sent back to be eligible for any aid. Individuals are eligible for up to $28,200 in grants or up to $200,000 in small business loans to repair property and up to $40,000 for replacement of personal property such as belongings. Businesses are eligible for up to $1.5 million in loans.

County meetings to help small business owners

Westchester County has also organized two meetings to help small business owners who suffered storm damage. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Disaster Assistance, will provide information and instructions to help small business owners apply for low interest loans to recover from the storm.

Small business owners can expect to learn:

· The various types of loans that may be available, including physical disaster loans, economic injury loans, military reservists’ loans and home/personal property loans

· The type of financial information needed to submit applications

· The difference between an “LLC” and a “Corporation” for application purposes, and

· The variety of supporting documents needed

This is an informational and instructional meeting only as the application process for business owners is complex. No applications will be accepted on site. The SBA Disaster Assistance team members will be available at the end of the presentation for questions.

Seminars will be held:

Monday, April 30^th

1 to 3 p.m.

Rye City Hall

1051 Boston Post Road

Rye, NY, 10580

and

Wednesday, May 2^nd

1 to 3 p.m.

Greenburgh Town Hall

177 Hillside Avenue

White Plains, NY, 10607

For the latest updates, visit www.westchestergov.com or visit www.fema.gov for more information about applying for aid. For information on how to donate to charitable organizations or where to receive goods if you are a storm victim, call the United Way’s 211 information line or visit www.westchestergov.com.