WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From the Westchester Broadway Theatre. October 26, 2020:

The Westchester Broadway Theatre will close its doors after 45 years of business due to COVID 19. The work that WBT has done over the years has been truly historic and will go down in history, not only in Westchester, but in the theatre industry as New York’s longest running Equity theatre.

Over the years, WBT has produced 217 musicals, hosted numerous concerts, benefits and fundraisers, employed 5,000 theatre professionals, many who have gone on to Broadway and beyond, and served over 6 million customers. 

As the world has been plugged into an intense emergency; we have determined there is no way we can reopen when the ban is lifted on live theatre.

Dinner- theatre, because of social distancing requirements, will be the last entertainment category to be given permission. Our landlord does not want to continue supporting our lease.

Sadly, the interior is to be destroyed and the building turned into a warehouse.

“It is with a great sadness that we say goodbye. We wish you much good will in the future. We will miss you!” said Bob Funking, Bill and Von Ann Stutler, founders of the Westchester Broadway Theatre, in a letter to employees. 

The art of presenting live theatre is one of NY State’s largest industries. It has been greatly affected by the pandemic leaving many shows on hold, 12 million people out of work, and numerous patrons with outstanding tickets to shows. 

However, Westchester residents will still have a professional Equity theatre in their backyard to attend when restrictions are lifted.

The White Plains Performing Arts Center, which is located in downtown White Plains, has used this down-time to make many new renovations to accommodate the “new world of theatre” when Governor Cuomo authorizes theaters to reopen. Everything from air purification systems, to advanced cleaning solutions and social distancing has been put in place. 

“As someone who grew up seeing and working on shows at WBT, it’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our colleague. The work they have done over the years was remarkable. When we heard of this news, we knew we had to do something to not only honor their legacy but also make sure we keep professional theatre alive in Westchester. We are honored to have the torch passed to us at White Plains PAC to take on that task!” said Stephen Ferri, White Plains PAC’s Executive Producer. 

White Plains PAC has generously offered to try assisting affected WBT ticket holders by honoring outstanding tickets and gift cards for a future WPPAC show. This will be a way to give back to the community and keep the industry alive; as well as fulfill the outstanding obligations to patrons. Eligible patrons will be contacted in the coming weeks with details about the exchange program.

WBT Staff

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joseph Ricca. October 26, 2020:

Dear WPCSD Key Communicator:

We hope that this update finds you safe and well!

Now that our school facilities have reopened to our children for this very unusual school year of 2020, we want to report to you that despite the pandemic, the district is up and running in the White Plains CSD tradition — providing all of our children with an excellent education. 

With the outstanding leadership of our Board of Education, we spent the summer working on the extraordinary preparations and protocols necessary to protect the health and safety of our children and staff. We know that the effort expended over the summer has helped to position us well to take on the virus when it is identified in our school community.

Our faculty and staff members also worked hard on learning new methods of instruction in both hybrid and remote paradigms to provide our students with the best possible educational experience – regardless of the challenges.  Our staff and students are proving every day that no challenge is too great for a Tiger!

Presently, we are using a hybrid model with students in school one or two days per week, depending on their grade level, and learning remotely the other days. 

At the same time, we are helping to provide for the welfare of our school families in the areas of emotional health, meals and extracurriculars where possible.  

Without a doubt, schooling during a pandemic is challenging. Still, we have been blessed with the amazing partnerships of our educational community, our Mayor and city government and the County of Westchester. Without the support of these, and many other outstanding community partners, this endeavor would be immeasurably more difficult. As always, health and safety must come first for our 7,000+ students.

Of course, no season is complete without sports, and we’ve resumed that, too.  “Low-risk” sports including Soccer, Field Hockey, Cross Country and Tennis have begun for the fall. We are awaiting the guidelines for winter sports and we will be sure that we continue to offer all opportunities available to our students in a safe manner.   

Other good news to report:

• In the National Merit competitions, 11 High School Seniors were named Commended Students, another is a Scholar in the National African American Recognition Program and four more are Scholars in the National Hispanic Recognition Program.
• The New York State School Music Association has selected four High School students for its 2020 Program:  Ari Gebhardt, Bass Clarinet – Symphonic Band; Samuel Hoch, Baritone Saxophone – Symphonic Band; Isabella Michell, Alto 2 – Treble Chorus; and Catherine Stanton, Bb Clarinet – Symphonic Band.
• The District has been awarded a grant from Con Edison in its incentive program to reduce natural gas usage.  It is expected that the work to be done will yield an annual savings of $94,000.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/wpschools, our website, www.whiteplainspublicschool.org and twitter:  www.twitter.com/wplainsschools and www.twitter.com/drjospehricca to stay up to date with WPCSD news.    

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Finally, and most important:  make sure to vote on November 3^rd.   The polling places in our schools will be ready for you.  Please be aware that due to COVID-19, some voting locations within the schools have been moved to be closer to the entrances. 

Thank you, as always, stay well, safe and stay #WPProud!

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo. October 22, 2020:

 COVID anxiety is real. COVID stress is real. COVID depression is real. I understand we’re tired of wearing masks, of social distancing, etc. The pandemic has caused tremendous stress on each of us. And the longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get.

We see it in the numbers, in a rise in substance abuse, in the way people are relying on mental health services and in real need of resources. We can’t ignore the emotional and mental health impacts of this pandemic. Give your friends a call.

Check in with your family. Ask them how everything is going and how they are feeling. Let’s show each other some love because mental health is just as important as physical health.

New Yorkers can also call the State’s mental health hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for free emotional support, consultations & referrals to a provider. We are New York Tough as we go through this together but let’s not also forget to be New York Loving. 

Photo of the Day: The iconic lion statues in front of the main branch of the New York Public Library are wearing masks and encouraging New Yorkers to vote (Photo by Nina Dudko) 

Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. The positivity rate in the “micro-cluster” focus areas was 3.20 percent. The statewide positivity rate excluding these areas was 0.96 percent. There were 986 total hospitalizations. Of the 135,341 tests reported yesterday, 1,628, or 1.2 percent, were positive. Sadly, we lost 15 New Yorkers to the virus yesterday. 

2. The Department of Health is partnering with Cortland County and SUNY to open new rapid testing sites. Starting tomorrow, October 23rd, free community testing will be open to the public at designated testing sites. Testing will be available from noon to 4:30pm on Friday and 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. You must have an appointment.

A list of testing locations is available here along with the link to make an appointment for a free test. 

 3. The Nourish NY program has spent over $18 million connecting New York farms with families in need. To date, 20.8 million pounds of raw milk have been made into products like yogurt and cheese that have been distributed by food banks, along with 6.4 million pounds of produce from NY farms. Almost 800,000 households have received products from more than 4,000 farms through this initiative — which is helping keep farms and families in need afloat.  

4. On Purple Thursday, we stand against domestic violence. Landmarks across the state will be lit purple tonight to spread awareness of domestic violence. Amid COVID, reports of DV have increased. Remember: You are not trapped because of COVID and you are not alone. If you need help, you can call the State’s Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-942-6906, or text 833-997-2121. New York will always fight for domestic violence survivors.  

5. The test positivity rate is below 2 percent in every region of the state. In New York City, the positivity rate was 1.1 percent. In Long Island, it was 1.0 percent. In the Capital Region, 0.9 percent. In Central New York, 1.0 percent. In the Finger Lakes, 1.4 percent. In the Mid-Hudson Region, 1.5 percent. In Mohawk Valley, 0.6 percent. In the North Country, 0.5 percent. In the Southern Tier, 1.5 percent. And finally, in Western New York, 1.5 percent. Remember that you can look at updated regional COVID data anytime online. 

 Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: A painting by a famous Black artist that was missing for 60 years was discovered thanks to a visitor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is hosting an exhibition of an important series of paintings about Revolutionary War times by Jacob Lawrence, an acclaimed American painter. But the series was missing one of the panels. What happened next was a stroke of fate: A patron realized she had seen a very similar work on the wall of her neighbor’s apartment on the Upper West Side, just across Central Park from the Met. It was the missing panel. The owners, who did not realize their painting was “missing” to art historians, were happy to lend the piece to the Met, where it is now displayed with the rest of the series. According to Eric Widing, Deputy Chairman of Christie’s New York, the painting is worth “in the seven figures.” The elderly owners had bought it at an auction for a modest sum in around 1960.  If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. 

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

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