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)

Leader of The Corps, Jerome Robinson, Passes Away

Posted on March 4, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR EPITAPH. November 5, 2004: You could hear the thunder of their drums from one end of the city to the other, the rumble and bump and clack and snap of their drumsticks, and smash of their symbols filled the spirit as their high stepping leader lead them down Mamaroneck Avenue for many a parade in White Plains over the years. More than the White Plains High School Band, more than any other musical group, The Slater Center Drum Corps under the military tutelege of Jerome Robinson made a White Plains parade. They always marched last because they were big time, and took their inspiration from Mr. Robinson.

LEADER OF THE CORPS: The T. H. Slater Drum Corps lost its leader Thursday. Jerome Robinson, manager of the Community Action Program, but best loved for his leadership and inspiration ofthe Slater Center Drum Corps died Thursday, a WPCNR reader reports. “Jerome was certainly someone in White Plains who made a difference.” The Corps is seen marching in last year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Main Street in White Plains. Photo from WPCNR News Archives.

Bradley Chides Bloomberg MTA Derailing Effort

Posted on March 4, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR CAPITOL DISTRICT. From The Press Office of Adam T. Bradley. March 5, 2004: Assemblyman Adam Bradley (D-White Plains) reinforced his support of Westchester commuters and criticized New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for interfering in the MTA’s plan to purchase 120 new railway cars. Bradley also called on the MTA to immediately release more details regarding their capital plan so this important issue is quickly resolved.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these cars are desperately needed – we can’t take another winter of constant breakdowns. We pay fares, we pay taxes, and we contribute to the city’s economy – we deserve to have safe, reliable transportation,” Bradley said. “Mayor Bloomberg and everyone else have to realize how important these cars are to the city’s workforce and support their purchase.”

Bradley noted that the New York City mayor had threatened to sue to block the purchase of the cars in order to pressure the MTA to take over more than 80 city-funded bus routes.

“The mayor is playing political football with the health, safety and well-being of commuters. Westchester residents contribute a sizeable amount to the city’s economy and should not be punished because of greed by the mayor, the two issues should not be connected,” Bradley said.

Keeping the MTA accountable to taxpayers

Earlier this week, the Assembly’s representative on the Capital Program Review Board raised questions regarding the lack of details in the MTA’s capital plan.

Bradley noted that last year the MTA also pushed through fare hikes and service cuts without public input or oversight. “State authority and public benefit corporation officials are not elected and operate with little outside control. It is essential that they are held accountable for their decisions,” Bradley said.

“Given the questions about the MTA’s procedures – including a $500,000 phone call by former-senator-turned-lobbyist Al D’Amato, the Assembly is exercising proper legislative oversight in the purchase of these cars,” Bradley said. “Commuters and taxpayers should know that their tax dollars are being wisely spent.”

To protect Westchester residents from a more expensive commute, Bradley sponsored legislation requiring more oversight of and public input into MTA service changes (A.7998-E) and fought the city’s effort to reinstate the “commuter tax.”

Paulin Intros Illegal Gun Sale Bill

Posted on March 4, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR’S NEW AMY’S ALBANY By Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, 88th Assembly District. March 5, 2004: New York must do a better job of keeping deadly and illegal weapons out of the hands of criminals. Firearms are used to kill over 30,000 Americans every year, including more than 1,200 people in New York State. In addition to the tragic human toll, guns cause hundreds of thousands of non-fatal injuries and millions of dollars in economic costs annually.

Unfortunately, there is a thriving underground market for illegal firearms in this state that leads to many of these problems. There were over 30,000 illegal guns seized in New York State between 1994-1998. A substantial portion of illegal firearms are diverted to the illegal market through licensed gun dealers.

An all too familiar scenario occurs when “straw purchasers” buy firearms from licensed and unlicensed dealers, then sell them to criminals. Almost 50 percent of all trafficking investigations involved straw purchasers, with an average of 37 guns confiscated per investigation.

Legislation I am sponsoring will help protect our families by making it more difficult for criminals to obtain firearms, rifles and shotguns from gun dealers. It will also increase the criminal penalties for those who illegally possess multiple guns and are trafficking them from other states (A.8456-A). Specifically, the legislation will:

· prevent sales of firearms to criminals;

· require gun dealers to store, display and ship guns in a secure manner;

· mandate that guns may only be sold at the location on the gun dealer’s license or at a gun show;

· prohibit children from entering a place where guns are sold unless accompanied by a parent or guardian; and

· reduce the amount of weapons needed to qualify for felony criminal possession charges.

Additional requirements in the bill will help police departments, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials in their efforts to trace and recover illegal weapons.

In addition to making our neighborhoods safer, this legislation will save substantial taxpayer dollars in future years through reduced costs in the prosecution of gun-related crimes and the treatment of gun-related injuries.

The gun culture in our country is a dangerous one. Too many criminals are getting their hands on firearms and compromising the safety of our neighborhoods. My legislation will keep our families safe. I strongly urge the Senate and the governor to join the Assembly in making this lifesaving bill a law.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin

88th Assembly District

Hey Parents! Comment on Westchester’s Regional Transportation Plan March 9

Posted on March 4, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR TRANSIT TIME. From Westchester County Department of Communication. March 4, 2004:

Two workshop sessions open to the public from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. will be held on Tuesday, March 9 at the Westchester County Center to discuss traffic, commuting, railroads, tunnels and other Westchester transportation issues and concerns, such as easing congestion spots, the network of train and bus transit systems and access to Manhattan.

Conducted by staff of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, the region’s coordinating umbrella group for transportation issues, programs and funding, the meeting will begin with a presentation of transportation issues and proposals for Westchester County. Maps will show plans and projects which cover every mode of transportation: walking, bicycling, highways, transit, ferries and freight.

The comments and suggestions made at this meeting will be used to update a formal blueprint, the Regional Transportation Plan, for transportation in the New York metropolitan region spanning 20 years in the future — from 2005 to 2025. The plan is updated every three years as required by state and federal regulations. The next update is expected to be completed by October next year. Besides Westchester, nine other counties and boroughs — Putnam, Rockland, Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx — will each submit their area’s comments to the region’s long range transportation plan. The Plan, which will ultimately be funded through federal, state and local sources, is expected to cost $145 billion over the next 20 years with the focus being on infrastructure and equipment maintenance, and regular replacement.

The plan can be viewed on NYMTC’s website at www.nymtc.org/plan.html . Comments may also be submitted by fax to RTP Update at (718) 482-7431 and by mail to Regional Transportation Plan Update, NYMTC, 45-46 21^st Street, LIC, NY 11101.