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)

Legislator Maisano Target of WESPAC for His Objecting to Palestinian Art Show

Posted on November 17, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VOICE. November 18, 2004: County Legislator James Maisano has written a letter to WPCNR, pointing out that WESPAC, a sponsor of a pro-Palestinian art exhibition to be held in the Westchester County Center Saturday evening, is attacking him for his objection to a partisan show being held on county property. Mr. Maisano writes:

Dear Friends:

Please see the troubling emails below.

A friend noticed tonight that I am being targeted by WESPAC (a radical organization with members with a troubling history of attacks on our country and Israel) because of my public objections to an art show fundraiser called “Made in Palestine,” which contains several paintings, photos and poems that are deeply troubling and demonstrate anti-American, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred, as well as tributes to terrorists. This group is also making false statements about a member of my staff. The fundraiser is being held on county property at the Westchester County Center this Saturday night. I objected to the use of the County Center as the location for a fundraiser that promotes such misguided hatred.

County Executive Andy Spano does not allow gun shows at the County Center, but he allows an incendiary Palestinian art show fundraiser instead. It deeply troubles me that holding this event at the County Center could cause people to think the Westchester County government supports this hateful activity.

I am receiving countless nasty phone calls and emails from WESPAC people attacking me for standing up to this hateful art show and fundraising and for supporting Israel and common decency. Don’t worry, these people could never intimidate this former Marine. I will continue to denounce this event and the disgraceful messages reflected by this so-called art.

I recognize that due to the Spano Administration’s mishandling of the event, we may now be forced to allow this extremist group to use some public venue due to constitutional issues, but they certainly should not have had their choice of locations, and especially not the historic County Center, where so many positive community events are held regularly.

I would appreciate your support on this controversial issue.

Jim Maisano

County Legislator

The following is mail forwarded to WPCNR from Mr. Maisano:

From:

Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 3:05 PM

Subject: [WESPAC-Foundation] URGENT, URGENT, URGENT

I have just heard from a reporter that Jim Maisano of the Westchester County Legislature is launching a campaign to shut down the Art Exhibition this Saturday in spite of the County Executive’s remarks to the contrary.

It is unbelievable. He wants to examine the contract that WESPAC has signed with the County Center to see if he can legally manage to suppress the First Amendment rights of the entire Palestinian Community.

Please CALL ASAP

—– Original Message —–

From:

Subject: [WESPAC-Foundation] Threat by Legislator Jim Maisano

>
>
> I just received call from David Simpson, legislator Maisano’s
> assistant. I was told that I and Nada are supporting
> terrorism by exhibiting this art. I was told that the
> legislator is going to shut this show down…and I was told
> that even though we were not showing art that was violent or
> any of the other claims that Assemblyman Karben made, they
> were determined not to let Palestinian art show in a county
> building. They said we could go and find another place to
> show this art.
>
> I told him that I had received an offer from a Cantor to
> organize a group of Jewish leaders who are willing to view
> the art and give us their support and to make it public by
> attending a press conference. He said it did not matter
> because there were too many Jewish members who did not want
> to see Palestinian art in a public building and that the show
> was going to be shut down.
>
> Basically, they are going to take on County Executive Spano.
>
> He yelled and screamed at me and was not interested in the
> least in seeing the art.
>
> We do have a group of Jewish leaders (Rabbi’s, cantors who
> are now willing to help us.)
>
> Please call me at if you can help in anyway.
> Thanks,
>


James Maisano
Legislator-District 11

[email protected]

800 Michaelian Office Building · 148 Martine Avenue · White Plains, N.Y. · 10601 · (914) 995-2826

Fire at 189 Main, Across from Macy’s OUT IN 30 Minutes. No Injuries. Main Open

Posted on November 17, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR Police Gazette. November 17, 2004, UPDATED 4:15 P.M. E.S.T., UPDATED November 19, 2004, 4:30 P.M. E.S.T. : Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, Charles Jennings reported to WPCNR at 3:45 P.M. Wednesday that the fire at 189 Main Street has been estinguished. Main Street appeared to be being reopened to traffic, Jim Benerofe reports, but as of 3:55 P.M. that the street was open again for traffic. Jennings said there were no injuries to either tenants or fire fighters.

Inspector Daniel Jackson, speaking for the White Plains Department of Public Safety stated Friday, that fire department inspectors attributed the cause of the fire in the third floor offices was “unintentional,” and caused by “careless smoking.” Jackson noted to WPCNR that the closing of Main Street was “handled relatively well,” thanks to changing the cycle of the traffic lights.

SCENE OF FIRE: 189 Main Street is the three-story structure next to the lower black building off the wingtip in the lower center of the picture. Bar Building is in upper right. Grace Church is in upper right of photo. Photo by WPCNR News.

Jennings said the fire broke out on the third floor of 189 Main Street, and the alarm came in at 2:25 P.M.. The building in question houses the check cashing service on the ground floor at 189 Main across from Macy’s is in the heart of White Plains. Jennings reports the fire took about an half-hour to put out, and the cause is now under investigation. The Commissioner says damage was confined to four rooms on the third floor.

Fire Chief Richard Lyman, speaking to WPCNR at 4:10 P.M., said fast action by his men saved the building, a wood, brick and joist structure. and that water damage was very light. He said power was off on the first and second floors as a precaution, and that his men extinguished the fire in twenty minutes. Chief Lyman confirmed traffic was now flowing again on Main Street

Main Street was reported blocked off as of 2:45 P.M..

Jim Benerofe, of suburbanstreet.com, eyewitness on the scene moments ago (3 P.M.) reports the fire is in the check cashing building. He had not seen smoke, but the fire appeared to be within the building. He said they appeared to be fighting the fire on the roof, and from within the building. His guess was that the firemen have the incident under control, but he was not provided with any information from police or firefighters at the scene.

Benerofe reported all Eastbound traffic on Main Street was being detoured to Hamilton Avenue at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at the Galleria corner. Benerofe’s estimate is the fire started approximately 2:30 P.M. Traffic is a mess, Benerofe reports.

No Commissioners, or city hall officials were available to report or provide the details of what was going on to the public, until an hour and 15 minutes after the fire began.

Winter Sports Parents and Athletes Only Poll

Posted on November 17, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR PRESS BOX. November 17, 2004: Tuesday evening White Plains High School held its Fall Sports Awards dinner. In a departure from last year’s format, parents and athletes gathered in the foyer of the auditorium for cheese and refreshments, entered the auditorium where Athletic Director Nick Panaro introduced the seniors on the fall sports teams (with exception of the football team, which gets their own dinner), and their parents. After that, the teams broke classrooms for individual team awards and hero sandwiches, salad, pasta and cookies. In previous years teams ate all at once at tables in the gymnasium in a brightly decorated orange-and-black streamer atmosphere. WPCNR asks those who attended which format they like better in today’s new poll.

Cappelli in Chips. Super Developer Linked to Double Casinos in The Cats.

Posted on November 17, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. By John F. Bailey and Compilation From Press Reports. November 17, 2004, UPDATED 1:00 P.M. E.S.T.: The Empire Resorts purchase of the Concord Hotel and Grossinger’s Hotel properties from Louis Cappelli and Reckson Strategic Venture last week, reported by Dow Jones and now the Associated Press Monday, is reported by the Middletown Times Herald-Record in a story published last week to be the beginning of a two-casino deal.

Super Developer Louis Cappelli: Sells Concord & Grossingers for 40% Stake in Empire Resorts. Mr. Cappelli is seen on the schmooz at the White Plains Performing Arts Center Gala last week. Photo by WPCNR News

In this gamble, Mr. Cappelli’s former property, the Concord would house one casino owned by the Seneca Cayuga tribe of Oklahoma, and the New York Cayugas would open a casino at the Monticello Racetrack. However, Mr. Cappelli’s selling of the Concord is not what it seems.

Mr. Cappelli still technically has a big piece of the Concord and the legendary Grossinger’s, because he and Reckson Strategic Venture Partners now own 40% of Empire Resorts.

Mr. Cappelli and his junior partner, Reckson Strategic Venture Partners, owners of Concord Associates, have sold their Concord and Grossingers Hotels to Empire Resorts in exchange for 18 Million shares of Empire Resorts Stock worth $196 Million at the close of Tuesday’s trading (giving them control of 40% of Empire Resorts.) Empire Resorts trades publicly on the NASDAQ Small Capitalization market at about $12 a share. (At the close of trading Tuesday, Empire Resorts traded at $10.88 a share, off 51 cents at the close, making Mr. Cappelli and Reckson owners of shares valued at $195,840,000, as 1 P.M. it is at $11.53 a share, up 65 cents.)

It’s a windfall profit for Cappelli and his Reckson partners who acquired the Concord and Grossinger’s resorts for $16 Million in 1998.

Mr. Cappelli and Reckson Strategic Venture Partners, according to terms of the deal acquire a 40% stake (18 Million shares of Empire Resorts stock valued at $205 Million) through stock in Empire Resorts which lends credibility to the MiddletownTimes Herald-Record story of the Concord being the site of a double-casino attraction in the sleepy Catskills.

The partnership with Empire Resorts may allow Mr. Cappelli to bring his expertise in construction to a new level: casino gaming.