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)

Methodists Present a Vampire Romance: “Blood and Kisses” March 6

Posted on February 6, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Innovative Stages. February 5, 2004: A glamorous vampire from the ancient past falls in love with a brilliant young doctor – the first romantic affair in her long, long life. It’s the premiere of “Blood & Kisses,” a musical by John Driver and Ed Weissman, to be presented at Memorial United Methodist Church on March 6 at 8 p.m.

With an edgy style and contemporary music, the new work explores the intrigues of romantic passion with wit and insight. The four-character work is presented by Innovative Stages, the non-profit organization committed to the development of diverse, innovative theatrical works.

An open discussion follows the performance. Suggested donation for admission
is $5, and $3 for senior citizens and students.

Innovative Stages is attracting growing audiences to attend monthly
script-in-hand productions of plays and musicals by emerging playwrights,
composers and librettists. The group is sponsored by Mamaroneck Council for
the Arts.

Memorial UMC, in addition to monthly theatrical works, presents regular
“Music at Memorial” concerts and a biannual art show. The church is located
on Bryant Avenue between North Street and Mamaroneck Avenue. The
congregation of Memorial strives to welcome and respect persons of every
race, ethnicity, national origin, physical or mental ability, gender, family
status, sexual orientation, age, theology, and economic circumstance. Its
pastor is Rev. Joe Agne.

The show will also be presented on Friday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m., at the
Bronxville Library, 201 Pondfield Rd., in Bronxville, and on Sun., March 7,
at 2 p.m., at Mamaroneck Library, 136 Prospect Ave., in Mamaroneck.

Crusading Editor Chang Reaches Out

Posted on February 5, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR HEARTBEAT OF WHITE PLAINS. February 5, 2004: Susan Chang, embattled editor of the White Plains Watch is expressing cautious optimism that enough subscribers can be found to keep her monthly alive. In a letter to subscribers, she points to Monday, February 9 as the meeting that may very well determine The Watch’s fate. Here is a copy of that letter:

Dear Watch Subscriber,

I am writing to you to keep you informed about our progress in
converting the White Plains Watch from a free to a paid paper. Your
support as one of our first paid subscribers has been critical to our plans
to strengthen the paper’s economic base and its independence.
Although we did not receive a sufficient number of subscribers to
launch ourselves as a paid paper in January, we are optimistic that we will
be up and running again soon thanks to an energetic and determined group of
community leaders who have come together to reach out to the greater
community to encourage more people to subscribe quickly.
I am attaching a copy of a letter, (previously presented on WPCNR), signed by some of these leaders, about a meeting to organize a subscription drive for the Watch. The meeting
will be held on Monday, February 9, at 8 pm, at Memorial Methodist Church.
We hope you will be able to attend and will forward this email invitation
to your friends and neighbors and business contacts in White Plains.
If you have any questions please call the Watch at 914-421-1904 or
email us at [email protected]. Please be assured that
subscriber monies have been reserved in a bank account and will not be used
until we begin publishing again.

Sincerely,
Susan Arterian Chang
Publisher & Editor

Delfino & Connors Collaborate to Create “Club Excel” for White Plains Kids

Posted on February 5, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR CITY HALL BEAT. From The Mayor’s Press Office. February 5, 2004: Mayor Joseph Delfino and White Plains Superintendent of Schools, Tim Connors announced the creation of Club Excel, Thursday — a new, joint academic initiative that will be run by the City Youth Bureau and housed in the City’s two middle schools. Club Excel will provide White Plains middle school students extended learning opportunities for three hours a day, five days a week during the school year, for free.

“I have always believed that we need to give young people every opportunity to succeed in life, and

this program will help us do that,” Mayor Delfino said. “I cannot thank Superintendent Connors enough

for his support and expertise in getting this program started.”

Club Excel will be held in the City’s two middle schools and will include 100 students from the Eastview Middle School and 125 students from the Highlands campus- almost 5 times what the Youth Bureau’s after school program currently supports.

The wide variety of programs that will be offered are designed to enhance the educational, social, cultural, and recreational needs of students and their families. A typical day will include academic support and elective – “academies” – during which students will learn about a wide range of topics including technology, the arts, life-learning skills, health and leadership training. The program will also include recreational activities.

One aspect of the program that makes it even more unique is the inclusion of family participation. The families of the students will have the chance to attend workshops and sessions on improving their own computer, language, and basic life skills.

Club Excel has been made possible by a $1.575 million dollar grant that was awarded through the State Education Department’s “New York 21^st Century Community Learning Centers Program”. The Youth Bureau, working with the City’s Grants writer Ted Lawson, Superintendent Connors, the Principals of the Highlands and Eastview Middle Schools, Diana Knight and Joseph Cloherty, Charles Celauro, Principal of St. John The Evangelist School, and Dr. Margaret Olson, a consultant for the City put together the proposal that won this major award. The funds from the grant provide for salaries, services, supplies and materials, transportation expenses and employee benefits.

For more information about the program, please contact the Youth Bureau at (914) 422-1411

Pressures on 2004-05 School Budget Spelled Out for ABC Committee

Posted on February 5, 2004 by John Bailey

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 5, 2004: The Annual Budget Committee that annually reviews and aids the City School District in creating the school budget convened for its first meeting Wednesday evening at Education House.

New Assistant Superintendent for Business, Terrance Schruers, took the School Board, assorted Assistant Superintendents, and the approximate 25 White Plains residents on a sobering financial tour of the new budget demands for the 2004-05 School Year. The Committee will meet again next Wednesday, February 11 at 7:30 P.M. in its continuing series of deliberations as the school budget choices are made.

ABC IN ACTION: Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, left, and Assistant Superintendent for Business, Terrance Schruers, right, make sense of budget pressures to the Annual Budget Committee Wednesday evening. Mr. Schruers, conducting his first ABC series, presented a tight, cogent, remarkably understandable overview of the demands by the state, contracts, and business conditions on the School District. Photo by WPCNR News.

Schruers defined the cost of the Board decision to make all kindergartens full day in all the district elementary schools, as $1, 453,245, which would be paid for by $125,000 in added state aid, and a tax levy increase of $1,217,245, and a “one-time” revenue of $111,000.

He said the District was required to pay a 700% increase in contributions to the New York State Teachers Retirement fund, but because of prior Board of Education setting aside funds for this expected increase, that impact would amount to an additional $726,600 in the 2004-05 budget. He outlined several ways this could be mitigated for the committee to consider.

An additional $1, 025,535 contribution is required by the state, Schruers said to be contributed to the Employees Retirement System, a 142% increase. However, Schruers said, several proposals are on the table by the state to “amortize” that impact by requiring only a $513,481 additional contribution in 04-05 and amortizing the rest at 8% interest to the state.

Health insurance, Schruers pointed out, was anticipated to rise 9.9%, resulting in a $1,648,643 increase in next year’s budget. Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors allowed that this was an option in upcoming teacher and civil service employees negotiations, that he said would begin shortly. Currently, WPCNR was told by Board of Education member Peter Bassano, teachers and employees do not contribute to the cost of their health insurance. It is paid by the School District.

The need to allow for tax certiorari relief resources in next year’s budget was emphasized by Schruers in light of a decline in reserves for certiorari refunds to $243,820.

Schruers reported that the City Tax Assessor, Eydie McCarthy, was reporting to him at this time that she expected no increase in assessments. Schruers noted to WPCNR that this was not good for the School District because any budget increase would have to be made up by increasing the School Tax Levy.

The final significant factor referred to in Wednesday evening’s meeting was that the White Plains Teachers Union contract expires in June of this year and next year’s wage increase and its impact on the budget is unpredictable at this time.

Salaries make up 59% of the School Budget and will automatically increase the budget $868,141 for every 1% change in salaries.

Last year’s School Budget for 2003-2004 was $134,632,632.

Schruers said in terms of state aid, he expected that to remain the same, however teacher center grants (that help train and improve teaching skills) would be cut from $100,000 to $66,000 under the Governor’s proposal.