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 QUILL & EYESHADE. From the Westchester Rye Town Hilton JULY 11, 2020:

Westchester County’s largest hotel announced to New York State it would be closing due to the coronavirus for good.

The Rye Town Hilton in Rye Brook, a site for weddings, business conferences and meetings became the second Rye Brook Hotel, (located just on the outskirts of White Plains), will be closing. Employees on furlough since March will be dismissed.

The venerable Hilton, in Rye Brook for 47 years, joined the Ritz-Carlton and the Arrowwood Doral became the third destination hotel to announce closure since March. It should be noted the Ritz-Carlton in White Plains said it would close for about a 10-month renovation into a Marriott hotel. The closure is another blow to the Westchester County budget and to Rye Brook.

For an interview with the Mayor of Rye Brook on the impact on that village conducted by Westchester Business Journal’s Peter Katz visit the Westchester Business Journal website at:

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ON THE ELECTION TASK FORCE–EXCLUSIVE VIDEO WITH BENJAMIN BOYKIN

55 BANK AND MAMARONECK & POST BUILDINGS GOING UP–WILL THEY BE SUCCESSFUL

REAL ESTATE PRICES AND SALES IN THE 2ND QUARTER

COVID CAVES IN SALES TAX RECEIPTS

THE PRESIDENT’S THREAT TO DEFUND THE SCHOOLS–HOW MUCH WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL LOSE

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN2020. By John F. Bailey. July 9, 2020:

WPCNR has learned that Board of Elections staff began counting some 65,000 absentee ballots today at 11 A.M. in the 17th Congressional District race for Nita Lowey’s seat and the 93rd Assembly District representing White Plains, Harrison, Bedford, the Castles, which is very close with 200 votes separating Chris Burdick and Kristen Browde, and Jason Frie-Pearson 400 votes behind Burdick with approximately 11,000 absentee ballots to count.

The counting is being done by Board of Elections staf, but all campaigns are allowed to bring observers/lawyers and by hand and by voting machine .

Candidates in the 93rd Assembly District race Chris Burdick, Kristen Browde and Jason Frie-Pearson will all have observers.

The procedures were determined in a court proceeding yesterday morning.

No indication exactly when the unprecedented number of absentee ballot counts is expected to be completed.

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WPCNR CORNAVIRUS UPDATE. From the Governor’s Office. July 8, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New York State will decide whether schools will reopen in the fall during the first week of August. New York State is now consulting with stakeholders on guidance, which will be finalized on July 13. Plans to reopen schools are due on July 31.

The governor also announced that all county fairs will be canceled until further notice out of an abundance of caution. Governor Cuomo previously announced that the New York State Fair will be canceled this summer.

Governor Cuomo also announced beginning Friday, July 10, malls can open in regions that have entered Phase IV of reopening if they have implemented an enhanced Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning – or HVAC – filtration system and follow proper ventilation protocols. HVAC systems will be required to include filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value – or MERV – rating of which filters out the COVID-19 virus, but can, if the system makes additional protections, run on a minimum MERV of 11. Ventilation protocols include increased outdoor air, reduced air circulation, longer system run times and frequent filter checks.

Governor Cuomo also announced that New York State will provide 1,000 masks and 1,000 2-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer for the Fire Island COVID Destroyers – a partnership that includes GMHC and Fire Island community leaders – to distribute on Fire Island.

The governor also updated New Yorkers on the state’s progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Long Island enters Phase IV of reopening today. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

“We have been consulting all stakeholders on guidance for how a school would reopen in September. We have 700 school districts in this state, and they range from rural to urban to suburban areas. Localities are very involved in their schools and school decisions, so we have been meeting with them,” Governor Cuomo said. “During the first week of August, the state will announce a decision on whether or not those schools reopen, and we want to make that decision with the best available data because facts change here day to day and week to week. A week can be a lifetime with this virus because everything changes so quickly. The schools say they need a decision made by the end of the first week in August so they can then turn on the switches and get everything ready for September, and we’ll look at the data in that first week and then we’ll make a decision.”

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization – 841 (+5)
• Patients Newly Admitted – 84 (+16)
• Hospital Counties – 31
• Number ICU – 166 (+6)
• Number ICU with Intubation – 97 (-6)
• Total Discharges – 71,185 (+94)
• Deaths – 11
• Total Deaths – 24,944

Of the 57,585 tests conducted in New York State yesterday, 692, or 1.2 percent, were positive. Each region’s percentage of positive tests over the last three days is as follows:

The Governor also confirmed 692 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 398,929 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 398,929 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner July 7, 2020:

County Board of Legislators:

Thank you  for reviewing the primary day fiasco.  These are some of the concerns residents highlighted to me on primary day. I hope that the Board of Elections will give priority attention to correcting the many problems that took place. Manual pdf Our democracy depends on voter confidence of the integrity of our elections. Manual pdf  

The Greenburgh Town Board is meeting on Wednesday night so I will be unable to attend your meeting. I appreciate the fact that these comments will be included in the record. Manual pdf   Complaints I heard:

1) People did not receive absentee ballots; 

2)long lines -some people waited for more than two hours to vote (some  people voted after 11 PM);

3)Machines malfunctioned- one of registration machines that printed ballots kept shutting down because of inadequate power; 

4) lack of air conditioning at some polls; 5)malfunctioning machines; 

6)reduction in polling places. 81 election districts–5 polling locations. Confusion since people didn’t vote at the polling location they always vote at. Polling locations should not be reduced -voters should always vote at the same location; 

7)unsure if absentee ballots that were sent in the ballot would be counted since postal service is not reliable (I had suggested that the Board of Elections send voters a confirmation that they received the ballot or provide voters with an identification number enabling voters to confirm if the ballot was received).  It would be interesting if the county would analyze -after votes are counted – how many ballots were invalidated because they arrived too late. 

8) Elderly and disabled residents with canes had to wait for up to two hours to vote and not afforded any accomodations 

9) people who were dehydrated and with temperature waited on lines  –some left before voting;

 10) lack of adequate help at polling places to control crowds. 
PAUL FEINER