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)

WPCNR Photograph of the Day

Posted on March 16, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. March 16, 2004: Today’s photograph is of the old Reporter Dispatch Building entrance, its classic freize recalling the nostalgia of old time news gathering, where footsteps and spike heels tapped on marble foyers, when reporters used pencils (because they always wrote), wore fedoras or pillbox hats, wrote more stories, blasted out scoops on yellow copy paper on ancient Royal Standard Typewriters, called up sources on stick phones where they held the mouthpiece to their mouth and the earpiece to their ear, and said things like, “Give me rewrite.”

When finished with a story, they’d call “Copy Boy!” who would move the freshly typed scoop to the City Desk Editor, who, in the movies would yell “Stop the Presses!” and scoops used the magic word, “FLASH!” Emerging weary from this entrance in the wee hours, the reporter in rumpled suit, white shirt, tie askew, cigarette dangling from mouth would retire to reflect in a dimly lit bar where he or she got their best stuff, over a gin gimlet or a scotch and soda, always with people, but always alone.

The Reporter Dispatch Building. By The White Plains Roving Photographer

Parking Authority to the Rescue: $5 Mill in Fine, Rate, Hour Hikes. Taxes Up 14%

Posted on March 16, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR PARALLEL LINES. By John F. Bailey. March 16, 2004: The Executive Board of the Parking Authority gave City Hall all it wanted last night approving $5 Million in new revenue streams to contribute to the city’s soaring budget due to sales tax revenue lag and pension, health, salary, and erosion of assessments. The vote of the Executive Board was unanimous.

The Common Council still must approve the rate hikes in meter rates, garage hours, parking permits hours of meter operation (extending 6 P.M. to midnight), and the manna also includes a million dollars from Parking Authority Reserves.

One silver lining in the rate hikes is the city on street meters will be free from 12 midnight to 2 A.M. when all cars have to be off the street.

The $5 Million will only cover one/third the projected paper deficit, estimated by WPCNR based on Budget Director Ann Reasoner’s January sales tax estimates, anticipated salary increases and general expenses as about $12 Million, making a double digit City Tax Increase likely. The Journal News quotes Mayor Joseph Delfino as calling for a 14% increase, the first time the city has put a figure on what residents may face.

The 2003-04 city budget is $104.3 Million. The projected $12 Million deficit would run the budget to $116 Million, without taking into account increased city expenses other than salaries, for all departments, the operation of Liberty Park, the possible acquisition of parkland from New York Presbyterian Hospital, and the expense of running the White Plains Performing Arts Center.

Budget worriers received some reason for optimism on money matters yesterday. A source, on condition of anonymity within city hall downplayed the significance of January and February Sales Tax receipts, (February was not revealed), showing the city running behind last year’s sales tax pace. This source said that these were only estimates supplied by the Comptroller’s office and did not reflect the real January, February receipts which would be reported at the end of March. This source said the January February “estimates” would not reflect the receipts from new establishments, Fortunoff, Circuit City, Target, Applebee’s, and the Performing Arts Center and movie theatres. Therefore, this source expected the city would be much better off than the now suspect January-February sales tax estimates indicate.

If Mayor Delfino is right, and the city needs to enact a 14% Tax Increase, the owner of a $600,000 home, assessed at $15,000, who is now paying $1,920 a year in City Taxes, would pay $363 more in 2004-05 City Taxes. Link this to the $360 more in School Taxes the same owner will pay under the projected $143.9 Million School Budget, and that owner will pay approximately $723 more in taxes to the city and the City School District next year.

WPCNR WEATHER SCOOP: Snow Arrives Mid A.M.

Posted on March 16, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR WEATHER SCOOP. From National Weather Service. March 16, 2004: Snow Will Develop Between 10 AM And Noon Today…And Become Heavy At Times. The Snow Will Likely Mix With Or Even Change To Sleet Late In The Afternoon. The Mixture Will Taper Off To Light Snow Or Freezing Drizzle Tonight. Storm Total Snowfall Amounts Will Range From 4 To 7 Inches.

…A WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT…

.LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY TODAY…
WHILE A SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPS ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC
COAST. WITH A COLD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM NORTH OF NEW ENGLAND…SNOW
IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP AND QUICKLY SPREAD NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST LATE THIS MORNING INTO EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON.

AS THE SECONDARY LOW MOVES NORTHEAST AND INTENSIFIES…SOME MILDER
AIR WILL WRAP AROUND THIS SYSTEM IN THE MID LEVELS…CAUSING THE SNOW
TO MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET AND RAIN ALONG THE COAST LATE TODAY
AND TONIGHT.

State Will Pay for Sandy Homeowner Victims’ Claims FEMA Would Not Pay. Governor Intros Homeowner Recovery Aid

Posted on March 15, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Governor Cuomo’s Office. September 28, 2013:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State’s Housing Recovery Program will fully compensate homeowners affected by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Superstorm Sandy for the repair costs of damage to their homes due to ‘earth movement.’

Under FEMA’s existing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations, damage caused by the movement of soil or earth – even if the movement is the result of flooding – is not eligible for coverage. In comparison, physical damage to a building caused directly by flood waters is covered under NFIP. As a result of this gap in coverage, hundreds of impacted homeowners throughout the state have had their NFIP claims denied, leaving many with no place to live and no resources to rebuild.

“Over the last few years, we experienced three once-in-a-century storms that wreaked an unprecedented level of devastation in communities across the state,” Governor Cuomo said. “While we have made much progress in recovering from Irene, Lee and Sandy, many New Yorkers are still left without a place to call home and limited resources to rebuild due to National Flood Insurance Program regulations, which state that homes damaged by ‘earth movement’ are not covered. Yet it simply does not make sense that some New Yorkers who were just as hard hit by the same storms as others cannot be compensated for their losses. That is why the State is stepping up to bridge this unfair gap in insurance coverage.

Under our Housing Recovery Program, homeowners will be fully compensated for all repairs of damage. We are pleased to deliver this assistance so that all New Yorkers can move forward on the path to a full recovery.”

“Many New Yorkers were hopeful that they would be covered since they had purchased flood insurance,” said Director of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, Seth Diamond. “However, they were unaware of this NFIP rule regarding earth movements. As a result, these homeowners did not receive the assistance they were seeking, and many who did not have the resources to rebuild on their own are still not back in their homes. Now, these residents will be eligible to receive funding through the State’s home rebuilding program instead, and their eligible rebuilding costs will be covered.”

The State will continue to conduct outreach to homeowners to ensure that those interested can apply for assistance. In addition, the Office of Storm Recovery will provide technical assistance to the communities under the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program to evaluate and determine if local resiliency measures could assist with limiting the impact of earth movements. For more information, call 1-855-697-7263 or visit www.stormrecovery.ny.gov.

Governor Cuomo created the Office of Storm Recovery in June 2013 to centralize recovery and rebuilding efforts in storm affected municipalities throughout the State. In close collaboration with local and community leaders in these areas, the Office is working to respond to communities’ most urgent rebuilding needs while also identifying long-term and innovative solutions to strengthen the State’s infrastructure and critical systems for the future. Storm Recovery programs include the Recreate NY Smart Home program, which provides homeowners with assistance for home repairs/rehabilitation, mitigation and elevation, and buyouts, and the Small Business program, which provides small business grants of $50,000 or more, as well as low-interest loans.