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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS 6 MONTH UPDATE. (ADDITIONAL LOCAL INFO ADDED 2:50 PM EDT ) August 17, 2020:
Governor Cuomo stressed today New York is opening schools but that is “how” schools reopen that must be addressed with parents and teachers. Without their cooperation and buying into to school district plans, if they keep children home and teachers are not confident of their safety and stay home “you have no schools,” the governor said.
Here is a clip from the governor’s statements today about the school reopenings:
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO NEWS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING ON THE SCHOOLS
He outlined how gyms can reopen. He sharply criticized cities and towns across the state for not enforcing restaurant and bar rules stating 66 violations were issued across the state.
MICHELLE SCHOENFELD of the White Plains City School District told WPCNR the White Plains has already had the first of three such meetings last Friday and plans on two more.
The second such forum is tomorrow Tuesday with links and time to come. She said the third and final will take place Friday. (Time and link to come). The district calls these meetings “Virtual Community Forums on Zoom.”
He reported yesterday the state infection rate dropped to to
point 7 %, the lowest it has been since the covid epidemic began in the state. “New
Yorkers did what couldn’t be done.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer issued the following statement on the Con Edison performance in response to Tropical Storm Isaiaa power outages in Westchester County Friday.
“Con Edison’s performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias was grossly deficient. The Governor, the New York State Public Service Commission, elected officials of both parties at every level and the customers themselves all recognize that failure.
Con Ed was simply not ready- a repeat of March 2018 – to provide the necessary manpower to cut and clear wires and to restore power in a timely fashion.
It cannot be acceptable to take a week or more to fully restore power, and in this case, from a storm that was not of the magnitude of Hurricane Irene or Superstorm Sandy.
This tells us the utility is simply not staffed up to handle storms; it tells us the profitability of the company is based on carrying staff insufficient to handle any significant weather incident.
“Westchester residents have time and again been underserved precisely in the moment when they most need that service. They need and deserve a service provider that outs service to the public ahead of any other consideration.
“Now, it is up to the State to use its regulatory authority to right this wrong, and mandate that the utility provide sufficient manpower and equipment that can, during the next hurricane, bring speedy relief to Westchester residents.”
WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2020. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators. August 16, 2020:
Expanded early voting hours; a multimedia campaign to encourage early voting; multi-lingual video instructions for how to vote absentee; changes in procedures to increase the number of available workers; drop boxes for returning absentee ballots; necessary voting equipment; and information-sharing partnerships with community organizations — these are just some of the recommendations for improving voting this November contained in a newly issued report from the Board of Legislators’ Election Information Gathering Task Force.
The Task Force was created by Board Chairman Ben Boykin in response to voting challenges that emerged during the June 23 primary elections.
The Task Force is co-chaired by Legislators Catherine Borgia and Vedat Gashi. The other Task Force members are Vice Chair Alfreda Williams and Majority Leader MaryJane Shimsky. The Task Force gathered information from more than 100 public comments and committee meetings with voter advocates and the Westchester County Board of Elections Commissioners.
The 21-page report details some of the things that went right and some of the things that went wrong during the June primaries, as election officials dealt with unprecedented events relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Challenges included multiple State changes to deadlines and absentee voting procedures, difficulty in recruiting and training poll workers, and changes in the availability of many regularly used polling locations.
Other recommendations in the report include technology investments to help streamline opening and recording of mailed ballots and improvements to the Board of Elections website.
Taskforce Co-Chair Catherine Borgia said, “The Board of Elections faced an extremely difficult set of circumstances in June because of COVID. We have to assume the situation will be similar this fall, but voter turnout will be much higher. Although the Board of Elections has the sole power and responsibility over the conduct of elections, we hope the information and recommendations we’ve assembled will be helpful to the BOE. The Board of Legislators stands ready to be a partner to the BOE in making sure voters in Westchester have the greatest possible access this fall.”
Taskforce Co-Chair Vedat Gashi said, “The impact of the pandemic on the June primaries was something no one could have been fully prepared for. However, we still have more than 10 weeks before early voting begins in the general election and the experiences of the June primaries to learn from. This report pulls together what we’ve learned since June and I hope the information and recommendations will be valuable to the Board of Elections going forward.”
WPCNR MEDIA GO-ROUND. From Paul Feiner, Town Supervisor of Greenburgh NY, USA:
Dr. Ed Zuckerberg, father of Facebook’s Mark and Randi Zuckerberg, sister of Mark speak to Greenburgh Summer student interns
Randi: “Be nice to your brother-you never know if he’ll become a billionaire and hire you.”
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, grew up in the village of Dobbs Ferry (part of Greenburgh). His father, Dr. Ed Zuckerberg was a well respected Dentist in the community. His sister, Randi, was asked by her brother to serve as DIrector of Market Development and spokesperson for Facebook during Facebook’s early years. Ed Zuckerberg and his daughter, Randi, spent almost an hour and forty minutes this past week talking with Greenburgh summer interns.
Dr. Zuckerberg spends the initial portion of the discussion talking about how his children his grew up with technology and were exposed to computers early on. Dr. Zuckerberg’s fascination with technology and computers probably enriched Mark’s interest in computers, programming, messaging. Some call Dr. Zuckerberg “the father of Facebook.”
Randi Zuckerberg talks to the student interns about being the sister of the founder of Facebook. “Be nice to your brother. You never know if he’ll become a billionaire and hire you.” Randi talks about her career in marketing, Broadway- performer and producer (she won a Tony award for producing Hadestown) and also invited Greenburgh students to apply for an exciting opportunity with the Zuckerberg Institute.
The Zuckerberg Institute mentors high school students with exciting visions, helps them become innovators who are ready to change the world. The program teaches students secrets and concepts that have helped entrepreneurs build billion dollar corporations and global initiatives. Town Clerk Judith Beville and I will be speaking with the leadership of the Zuckerberg Institute this week and look forward to partnering with them–providing Greenburgh youth with the chance to become great successes in life.
The 2020 Greenburgh summer internship program is a program organized by Town Clerk Judith Beville, Town Attorney Tim Lewis, Commissioner of Planning Garrett Duquesne and myself. Other nationally known speakers this summer included Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State, First Lady and Senator and David Kaplan, previously with Newsweek and author of NY Times Best Seller: “The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court’s Assault on the Constitution” and Barrett Seaman, former TIME Magazine Correspondent and White House Correspondent. Mr. Seaman is currently with the Hudson Independent. Other officials and community leaders also spoke to the students. The students produced a number of public service announcements during the summer dealing the pedestrian safety, racism, COVID/need to wear masks, the need to participate in the census and much more.
WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From ABC NEWS. August 16, 2020:
In an interview with ABC News and testimony before congress, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that taking positions over coronavirus preventive messages was the most serious threat to public health he has ever seen. In an story in the Huffington Post at
WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER.From Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. August 15, 2020:
The total number of COVID hospitalizations continues to remain low. Yesterday, there were 554 hospitalizations, a slight drop from the previous day. Of the 85,455 tests reported yesterday, 727 were positive (0.85%). Sadly, we lost 4 New Yorkers to the virus.
New York State is investing in innovative methods to detect and control any new Coronavirus outbreaks. Today, we are launching a pilot program to detect the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater. In doing so, we will have an early indicator system to detect virus spread in communities. Wastewater testing has been identified by top scientists and researchers as a cost-effective way to monitor for outbreaks of COVID-19 around the world. The State will provide $500,000 to support a wastewater sampling project in Onondaga County and start sample collection in Albany, Newburgh and Buffalo. This new initiative will complement our leading testing program, which is now up to 87,000 tests a day (3-day average) and that provides a daily snapshot of the estimated infection rate of the virus by region across the state. We know that when we follow the science we win the fight against this virus. The more data we have, and the more points of detection, the better able we are to stop the spread.
Chart of the Day: When New York was in need, individuals from 44 states (and in territories as far as Guam) and from 12+ foreign countries mailed over 8,000 masks to my office. It’s that unity and solidarity that our nation must keep up in order to beat this virus. Here’s what else you need to know tonight:
1. New York City museums and cultural institutions can reopen starting Monday, August 24. Museums, aquariums, and other low-risk indoor arts and cultural institutions can open at 25% capacity. Timed ticketing will be required with pre-set, staggered entry, along with strict enforcement of face coverings, social distancing, controlled traffic flow to avoid crowding, and enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols.
2. Bowling alleys throughout New York will be allowed to reopen starting Monday with strict safety protocols. Bowling alleys will be able to operate at a 50 percent occupancy, and face coverings and social distancing will be required at all times. Every other lane must be closed and patrons need to stay with the party at their assigned lane. Additionally, thorough cleaning and disinfection of shared or rented equipment between each use will be required. Read more here.
3. New York will dispatch mobile testing teams to farms in rural counties across New York. The State’s contact tracing program has identified several new clusters at farms linked to seasonal workers. In addition to sending mobile testing teams, the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture & Markets will help provide housing for farm workers who test positive and need to be isolated.
WPCNR THE POWER STORY.From Bedford Town Supervisor Chris Burdick August 15, 2020:
This is Supervisor Burdick’s Friday evening report to Bedford NY residents on restoration of media services:
Day 10 of the Outage
Every day that service has not been restored only further shows the lack of preparedness and the lack of adequate response by Optimum and Verizon. Reliable internet, phone and cell service are critical necessities and a matter of public safety. We have alerted carriers of instances of elderly individuals with serious medical issues who could not reach emergency services if needed. I am continuing to work together with my fellow supervisors/mayors, the Governor’s Office, County Executive George Latimer, State Senator Shelley Mayer, State Assembly Member David Buchwald and our County Legislator Kitley Covill to press for immediate restoration action.
Optimum
Optimum has previously promised elected officials that everyone would be restored by the end of the day today. While we are hopeful that they keep their promise, based on the conference call we had this morning with them, we are skeptical that they will fulfill it. Although it has taken way too long for Optimum to restore services, they re-iterated on a call with elected officials yesterday morning that they would automatically credit customers’ accounts for services they did not provide after the storm. You can find their policy here.
Below is the message that Optimum told elected officials that they would share with their customers:
“We know how important your Optimum service is to you. Tropical Storm Isaias was one of the most powerful storms to strike the Northeast in years and our crews have been working around the clock to repair damage and restore your service as power returns. We appreciate your patience and will be providing a credit for the time that your Optimum services were not available when power was restored. There is no need to request this credit, we will simply apply to your account in the next several weeks.”
Here is a map and list of customers affected by town that they provided elected officials today (August 12th):
Please click here for a map view that Altice (Optimum) provided. Click here for a list Altice (Optimum) provided of number of customers affected by town.
ANDREW SINDELL COORDINATOR OF VOLUNTEERS, RED CROSS OF GREATER NEW YORK INTERVIEWED TONIGHT AT 8 ON WHAT VOLUMNTEERS DO, WHY THEY ARE NEEDED AND HOW TO GET THE RED CROSS IN TO YOUR COMMUNITY AT 8 ON WHITE PLAINS TV AT CH. 45 VERZON FIOS AND CH. 76 WHITE PLAINS ALTICE CH. 76
WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the White Plains Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Ricca August 13, 2020:
Dr. Joseph Ricca announced in his Twitter Feed to Parents yesterday that White Plains parents will have a fully remote “learning at home” choice for their children when White Plains Schools reopen which must be requested by August 25. The announcement:
8/12/20 ON REMOTE LEARNING OPTION:
As we continue to work with our community members and plan for the 2020-2021 academic year, we know that each family’s needs are unique. Many in our community have requested a fully Remote Learning option for their child/children as we look toward the beginning of the new school year. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not have clear guidance from the State Education Department as to whether this option will be allowable.
However, based on the Governor’s remarks last Friday, and with the approval of the Board of Education and the District Reopening Committee, we will offer a fully Remote Learning option for our families.
Therefore, if you would like to choose a fully Remote Learning experience for your child/children, please indicate this desire, in writing, to your child’s building Principal via email or fax. We are asking that you make this commitment for the first marking period so that we can plan accordingly. Please make your selection by Tuesday, August 25, 2020.
Thank you for your partnership and continued flexibility as we navigate the challenges of the pandemic together.
