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)

County Installs Virtual Fence Around HPN. Pilot ID Swipe Card Gate System Coming

Posted on February 8, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS CLIPPER. By John F. Bailey. February 8, 2007: County Executive Andrew Spano, Commissioner of Transportation Larry Sallee and Director of Intelligence for the County Harold Rosenthal, introduced a $5 Million software driven camera and sensory system that maintains surveillance of the Westchester County Airport Perimeter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To date the system has confirmed positively that coyotes exist in Westchester county in and about the White Plains area and are prowling near the airport. One breached the “virtual fence” recently, was spotted instantly and airport security alerted.

Rosenthal told reporters human intruders attempting to breach the airport fenced perimeter gates or at any point would be observed within 4 seconds by on duty observer of the multiple screen system. A total of 17 Surveillance officers are rotated every two hours to avert fatigue and maintain fresh vigilance at the multiple screens.

Rosenthal declined for security reasons to say how fast airport security personnel could reach any intruders at any point along the perimeter. The Director of Intelligence, (previously was in charge of security for West Point Military Academy), said the response time would vary depending on the nature and location of the incursion. He also said the close integration of the surveillance officer and the airport operations officer on duty enabled the airport authorities to respond cohesively, and make informed security deployment decisions to meet any penetration of the airport perimeter.

Rosenthal also reported that private pilots maintaining their own aircraft at Westchester County Airport would soon have their personal keys to the locked gates at the airport replaced with an identity swipe card system. Rosenthal said it was impossible to visualize every threat, and that having individual officers identify pilots at each of the 20 gate entry checkpoints was prohibitive from a cost standpoint with present staff. Rosenthal added that he and the airport security personnel are also examining biological systems such as finger print, iris identification and other systems to identify staff and other personnel, perhaps even pilots.

County Executive Spano noted that the $5 Million system was not paid for by taxpayer dollars but instead by Federal Aviation Administration funds and the airport budget.

That not-so-wiley coyote? Rosenthal reported that the unfortunate renegade sprinted across the airport entered Runway 34 into the path of a rolling jet on takeoff run which terminated the coyote threat before security personnel could intervene to apprehend the perpetrator.

School District Sued by Former High School Contractor. $2M PLUS PAYOUT?

Posted on February 7, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 8, 2007 UPDATED 10 A.M. UPDATED February 9, 2007: WPCNR has learned from two sources that the City School District has been ordered to pay a settlement to a former contractor on the high school addition project completed in 2003. The school district had withheld payment from a contractor over certain matters, and the contractor sued the district. Calls to the district business office, the clerk to the school board and the Superintendent of Schools have been made by WPCNR for details on the case. The possible payout to the bondholding company, Travelers Casualty and other contractors could be, according to court papers received by WPCNR may be $2,000,000 plus. The amount is being determined, and whether or not the district will appeal is being examined by district lawyers at this time.

The case developed out of the delay-plagued $28 Million high school addition, begun in summer 2000, predicted by its architects, Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, to be completed in a year and a half (fall 2002). However the project was not completed until the close of 2003, a full 3 years plus. The Class of 2004 of White Plains High went to high school for all four years with construction going on during their school day.

During the construction there were disputes at the outset which lost 17 consecutive days of labor in summer 2000 due to a mix of non-union and union contractors. The district, according to one highly placed source, withheld payment from the contractor, which has had a history of contract disputes with eventually terminated the lead contractor and sued the insurance company, Travelers Insurance Company for $2 Million. Other contractors on the project sued the district for $6 Million because of delays.

The attorney on the case Charles Goldberger appeared at an executive session last week, but it could not be determined that he was reporting on this particular matter.

Kaeyer Garment & Davidson has been awarded another major project by the district to design and supervise the $69.6 Million capital improvements project now under way in the school district. This includes the building of a new Post Road School for $39 Million, two synthetic turf football stadiums for $9.6 Million and $15 Million of infrastructure repairs to the high school, elementary schools and middle school and other district buildings. Kaeyer Garment & Davidson will be paid approximately $6 Million in commission for the entire project, expected to be completed in three years.

The Spano Boys Measure Distance Wrong — Won’t Build Shelter at County Police HQ

Posted on February 7, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE HOMELESS NEWS. February 7, 2007: The County Executive’s plan to build a new $1.2 Million Homeless shelter at Westchester County Police Headquarters and close 85 Court Street in White Plains to move the hardcare homeless there has been withdrawn.

The reason, according to the County Executive Andy Spano is that the county official’s responsible for checking something out misinterpreted the county’s own agreement with the Town of Greenburgh.

The announcement of the shelter project that was told to White Plains Councilpersons and County Legislator Bill Ryan Saturday and was leaked to The Journal News in order that a story could appear Monday before the official news release sent to other media.

The quck kill of the project was just as mysteriously leaked yesterday, obviously coincidentally following a snarling chorus of public reaction against the new shelter location from the Town of Mount Pleasant. The County Executive or his spokespersons apparently called in their buddies at The Journal News to tell them that constructing the new facility on the Westchester County Police Headquarters violated a county promise to the Town of Greenburgh that there would be no building of more shelter facilities within two miles of the center of the Grasslands complex.

Executive Spano said the distance measurement was made in error from the Westhelp facility 2.05 miles from the Police Headquarters site, and not from the center of the campus which is 1.74 miles from the Police Headquarters.

The Journal News did not disclose in its report how the county executive suddenly discovered this mistake.

Going strictly on the timing, the “mistake” was discovered (blamed on an inaccurate measurement) after the Town of Mount Pleasant Supervisor Robert Swanson and County Legislator Suzanne Swanson held a news conference denouncing the new shelter location and vowing to fight it, after an angry denunciation of it appeared in The Journal News Tuesday morning..

The County Executive said he might ask Paul Feiner, Supervisor of the Town of Greenburgh to waive the ban, however Mr. Feiner is quoted as saying he’d be reluctant to do that because it would mean people could not trust the government to live up to its aggreements.

To WPCNR knowledge no other media were notified by the county on the whole scenario except The Journal News.

WPCNR has asked the Department of Communications how this measuring mistake was made, who was responsible for it, and how it was discovered a full 72 hours after it was agreed upon with County Legislator Bill Ryan, Councilpersons Rita Malmud, Tom Roach and Benjamin Boykin.

As of 3:15 P.M no official press release was issued describing this abrupt change in plan by the County Executive.

The Great Burdette Leaves Mound for the Last Time

Posted on February 7, 2007 by John Bailey

WPCNR’S VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By Baseball Bailey. February 7, 2007: The Milwaukee Braves workhorse righthander, Lew Burdette died at age 80 yesterday. The alleged master of the spitball, the slider, and incomparable pitch selection and impeccable control won three games in the 1957 series to lead the Milwaukee Braves to their only World Series win over the New York Yankees.

No. 33 00 Selva Lewis Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves early 1950s

He and Warren Spahn were the most feared National League 1-2 pitching duo who kept the Braves contending for eight years from 1955 through 1963. I saw Lew Burdette pitch in the 1957 Series and his offspeed pitches and control kept the Yankee free-swingers off-balance. Lew pitched a perfect game against the Phillies. He won 203 games in the bigs with 144 losses, a winning percentage of .585. He won twenty games twice and completed 158 of his 373 starts (more than half). I loved his snakey, smooth leisurely pitching motion. Lew Burdette was a “money pitcher.” Here is an ode to Lew and his buddy, Warren Spahn.

Spahn and Burdette and Forget

By Baseball Bailey

Over sixteen years the Bravos Duo discoursed,

Throwing off the high red mounds of rolling greenswards

In friendly confines of ball’s legendary yards

Baseball Sidekicks, Spahnie the Southpaw and Lou the workhorse.

(More)

Lou the kid righty, joined the wily lefty

Took their starts in front of the jurybox faithful

Off the windy Charles in empty stands

Then going west, grew and gave joy to Milwaukee fans.

The mighty Brooklyns: Duke Jackie and Gil

The Redlegs’ Big Klu, Frank,Wally and Bell

Flailed at Spahnie’s hooks with flair

Beat into dirt Lou’s dropping doozies

Belt to knee out of midair.

Warren the Elegant and Burdette the Fidget,

Pranksters of clubhouse and fast friend

Swashbuckled the distance, disdaining gadget

No pitch counts for them, always there at game’s end.

Inseparable slayers of Bronx Bombers

Bringing joy to burghers on Wisconsin Avenue

In Yankee Stadium’s grandstand shadow those faithful Octobers

The wily Burdette, taking Spahn’s turn, New Yorkers would not forget

After Covington’s miracle backhand catch in foul line sun

Of Little Bobby Shantz’s shot, Lou’s lanky, herky jerky finesse

Quieted Bomber bats in blue haze shadow foretelling the Yanks were done

Lou’s snake arm, slow stretch, induced grounder & pop and Casey was helpless.

The Burdette fadeway delivery.

Into Game 5 before County Stadium faithful’s enthrall

Into the breech Burdette the Magician cast his spell

On Enos, Gil, Moose andYogi. Adcock’s 6th frame single beat Ford’s best

1-0 in the Wisconsin sun. Bombers beat into dirt, Lou’s pitches blessed.

With his pitching mate felled by flu and fate

Once more in Game 7, the redheaded workhorse kept his date with fate.

Taking Stadium mound in the House that Ruth Built on 2 days rest

Once more improbably, no Bomber touched plate, he shut out the best.

Burdette, Yankee Killer, of lazy stretch and leisurely leg kick

Had matched Brecheen of Cardinal lore and Coveleskie the Indian

Winning three games in the Fall Classic

Bringing joy to Milwaukee hearts and Yankee dynasty to oblivion.

Looking down through the blue cigar haze in the upper deck of memory,

I see his broad-stooped shoulders still — red bill on blue cap

His Calvary Captain eyes squint into the shadows of the plate, leaning for Del’s sign

His giant figure unwinding in the dazzle of the autumn rays of history

In hue of blue smoke, bending in sweeping stretch and snakearm snap.

Returning to mound he fidgets, licks fingertips, adjusts cap and bends again to toil

Slider, spitter, sinker catching corner or knee yelled by Conlon or Shylak

Bombers beating grounders to Johnny, Eddie and Red,

Pops to Wes, Hank and Andy.

White zeros sliding in place on scoreboard black.

Innings dwindling down as the great Burdette bows his back.

Then to another night in the distance in Milwaukee when

The Workhorse and hapless Haddix matched 13 straight Innings

Of scoreless ball. Til Adcock’s homer broke up The Kitten’s 36-in-a-row gem.

Described by some as the greatest game ever pitched of the Millenium.

Ye throwers of today: look back to the Diamonds Gone By

Days when the offerings of Spahn, Burdette and forget

Haunted the sluggers of the golden 50s with guile, guts and style

When Spahnie and Lou stalked from the mound without regret.

The wily Burdette has left the mound for the last time in this mortal dance

Joining Spahnie on the Lord’s Staff, with Carl and Walter, Early and Matty

We keepers of the game watching in the stadium of remembrance yet

See him pitching still in the shadows of autumn when

It was Spahn and Burdette and Forget.