POOL PROTOCOLS FROM BENJAMIN BOYKIN

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Two Westchester County Pools are officially open for the summer season. Saxon Woods Pool in White Plains and Sprain Ridge Pool in Yonkers are now open daily to Westchester County residents.

Tibbets Brook Pool and Wilson Woods Pool will open Friday, July 3.

Session One, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Session Two, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Session One wristbands go on sale 9 a.m. until sold out at locations. Session Two wristbands go on sale only when Session One is sold out.

Any Session Two wristbands remaining will go on sale again at 2 p.m.

All tickets sold at the pool day of visit only. Admission – $4 adults and children; free for children under 5 but counted as part of maximum occupancy.

No issuance of seasonal Swim Passes. No refunds or rainchecks.

Pools and Parks – Open to Westchester Residents only. Visitors will be required to verify their residency with their Westchester County Park Pass or driver’s license with a Westchester address.

Pools (Swimmer Capacity Limited)– 50% capacity for sunning and swimming.

Food Concessions – Open under New York State social distancing protocols.

Bathrooms – Open

Showers – Closed

Swimming Features Closed – Saxon Woods Aqua Playground; Sprain Ridge Aqua Splash Pad; Wilson Woods No Waves, Aqua Playground, Splash Pad, Slides;

Tibbetts Brook No Tubes, Aqua Playground, Basketball Court, Slides. Social Distancing –

Visitors must wear a mask if they cannot social distance within six feet.

Small families in specific sand areas do not have to wear mask when sitting. Mask not required in the water.

Disinfection – areas disinfected throughout the session and then again from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. between sessions.

Playland Pool – Closed for the season. For more information, visit the Westchester County Parks Department website.

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White Plains High Seeks New Principal. Present Principal Leaves for Chappaqua Position

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. June 28, 2020:

In the New York Times Sunday Revuew section, White Plains City School District ran an add seeking candidates for a new White Plains High School Principal or “Interim” Principal.

Ellen Doherty has been Principal since 2012, when she became WPHS Principal after leaving the Principal position of John Jay High School in the Katonah Lewisboro School District.

Michelle Schoenfeld of the White Plains School District in a statement to WPCNR this morning wrote:

Ms. Doherty is leaving to take the position of Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services in the Chappaqua district.

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Cuomo The Sunday Coronavirus Report

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT, From the Governor’s Office; JUNE 28, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced New York State’s lowest death toll and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Yesterday, there were five deaths and 869 hospitalizations in New York State. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

“As states across the country struggle with new outbreaks related to reopening, New York’s numbers continue to go down to record lows,” Governor Cuomo said.  “Our progress is a direct result of New Yorkers’ discipline and hard work and an incremental, data-driven reopening. Yesterday, as our hospitalizations dropped below 900, New York had its lowest single-day death toll since March 15th.  While today’s numbers are very encouraging, New Yorkers must remain vigilant or the numbers will shoot right back up.  Be smart, wear a mask, stay New York Tough!”

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

  • Patient Hospitalization – 869 (-39)
  • Patients Newly Admitted – 54 (-24)
  • Hospital Counties – 30
  • Number ICU – 229 (-1)
  • Number ICU that are intubated – 145 (+1)
  • Total Discharges – 70,369 (+133)
  • Deaths – 5
  • Total Deaths – 24,835

Of the 61,906 tests conducted in New York State yesterday, 616, or 0.99 percent, were positive. Each region’s percentage of positive tests over the last three days is as follows:

REGIONTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAY
New York City1.40%1.00%1.10%
Capital Region0.90%0.80%0.70%
Central New York1.40%0.50%1.20%
Finger Lakes1.60%1.30%0.70%
Long Island1.10%0.90%0.80%
Hudson Valley1.20%1.00%1.00%
Mohawk Valley2.00%2.40%2.30%
North Country0.20%0.20%0.30%
Southern Tier1.20%0.30%0.30%
Western New York1.40%0.90%0.80%

The Governor also confirmed 616 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 392,539 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 392,539 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany2,0976
Allegany591
Broome7032
Cattaraugus1230
Cayuga1132
Chautauqua1230
Chemung1401
Chenango1460
Clinton1010
Columbia4632
Cortland462
Delaware910
Dutchess4,1987
Erie7,22822
Essex420
Franklin290
Fulton2556
Genesee2381
Greene2600
Hamilton60
Herkimer1584
Jefferson850
Lewis293
Livingston1282
Madison3521
Monroe3,69014
Montgomery1182
Nassau41,75429
Niagara12263
NYC214,750316
Oneida158639
Onondaga2,81625
Ontario2562
Orange10,7133
Orleans2811
Oswego1951
Otsego840
Putnam1,3234
Rensselaer5511
Rockland13,57610
Saratoga5482
Schenectady7926
Schoharie581
Schuyler120
Seneca690
St. Lawrence2180
Steuben2662
Suffolk41,30653
Sullivan1,4510
Tioga1420
Tompkins1761
Ulster1,7785
Warren2630
Washington2461
Wayne1621
Westchester34,78032
Wyoming950
Yates450
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7:30 MONDAY PENETRATING ELECTION ANALYSIS–COUNTYWIDE ON FIOS CH. 45, ON WHITE PLAINS CABLEVISION CH. 76 AND AT WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

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DAWN OF THE UGLIEST ELECTION FIASCO EXPERIENCE WHITE PLAINS AND WESTCHESTER HAVE EVER HAD —-MASTER MASTER, THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS, THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS!
LINE UP AND WAIT AND MAYBE YOU’LL GET TO VOTE THE LOWEY SEAT RACE, THE TOO CLOSE TO CALL ASSEMBLY RACE
TAKING OFF THE RITZ
ASTORINO PLOTS A COMEBACK
JOHN BAILEY AND JIM BENEROFE ANALYZE THE ELECTIONS IN LIMBO — ANALYSTS WITHOUT PEER FOR 20 YEARS ON THE AIR EVERY WEEK FOR 20 YEARS

8:30 AM COFFEE WITH WHITE PLAINS WEEK FIOS CH 45, CABLEVISION CH. 76 AND www.wpcommunitymedia.org JOIN “THE TEAM” 8:30 A.M SATURDAY FOR SATURDAY COFFEE

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ROB ASTORINO ANNOUNCES BID FOR PETER HARCKAM’S STATE SENATE SEAT (40TH SENATE DISTRICT)

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2020 From Bill O’Reilly, Astorino for State Senate June 25, 2020:

Former two-term Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino (2010-2017), a proven champion for taxpayers and accountable bipartisan government, today formally launched his campaign for the New York State Senate in New York’s 40th District which includes areas of Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties. 


Mr. Astorino, 53, submitted eight straight budgets without a tax increase as county executive (in Westchester County) and created a bipartisan governing coalition to achieve concrete results in the county government he led, made his announcement in a video outlining some of the challenges he seeks to fix in Albany.

Under Mr. Astorino’s leadership, Westchester gained 44,000 new private sector jobs, maintained the highest credit rating in New York State — higher than the State itself — and reduced its workforce costs while delivering superior public services. 


The video, entitled “Rebuild” can be viewed here. A full script is included below. 


“New York is being challenged as perhaps never before, and it’s imperative that taxpayers be vigorously defended in the coming legislative term,” the former county executive said. “There are many in Albany already calling for dramatic new tax hikes, and middle class families can’t afford to pay a penny more. Without firm, common-sense voices at the table to push back against tax hikes — not to mention ill-conceived criminal justice blunders like cashless bail that’s putting dangerous criminals back onto our streets — the steady flow of families abandoning New York could become a torrent. We must not let that happen.” 


Mr. Astorino, a husband and father of three, said he looks forward to running a spirited campaign based on issues and competing visions for New York State. 


“New York is in turmoil right now, and there’s a critical need for firm, measured voices in the state legislature,” he said. “Peaceful protesters should be respected. We should encourage thoughtful dialogue and all sides of a debate must be heard. Violence, rioting, vandalism and those seeking unrest and anarchy, however, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We also must ensure the safety of our senior citizens if a second wave of the coronavirus arrives. The avoidable tragedy that occurred in New York nursing homes this spring must be impartially investigated and never allowed to happen again.” 


After serving his second term as Westchester County Executive, Mr. Astorino went to work as Cardinal Dolan’s Delegate to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, a Catholic philanthropic organization serving the healthcare needs of the poor, and as a paid national commentator for CNN.  ###
“Rebuild”2:23


So much is happening so fast, it’s tough to take it all in.But New York’s troubles didn’t start with the coronavirus lockdown,they’ve been building up for far too long.Record deficits, highest taxes in America,one million New Yorkers fleeing the state in just the past 10 years…Besides Albany’s rampant corruption we get one-sided debates that lead to dangerous new laws like cashless bail.Who is Albany protecting?

Their bad decisions are affecting all of us.I’m running for state senate because I know things can change – they have to.

As county executive I made promises and kept them.We built a bipartisan coalition that held the line on spending and cut property taxes….Helped create over 44,000 new jobs,opened up daycare slots for working parents and earned the highest credit rating of any county in the state.

We did it by bringing people together developing ground-breaking programs that eliminated veteran’s homelessness and the Fatherhood Initiative that helped at-risk dads get back into the lives of their children. Why can’t Albany do the same?

My plan to Fix and Rebuild New York starts with holding Albany politicians accountable. Term limits.Transparency, and tough new ethics laws.Next, we’ll jump start our economy by reducing taxes, reining in the excessive spending, and eliminating the regulations that do little but kill jobs and ingenuity.

We’ll improve our schools by putting parents and teachers back in charge and strengthen public safety by repealing the reckless cashless bail law and by improving our police – not defunding or abolishing them.

We’ll also bring other good ideas and policies to Albany so no one willing to put in the effort will get left behind.

To change New York we have to change the politicians… we need responsible leaders who can bring people together and get things done. I’ve done it before,and I will do it again.

Now, I’m running for state senate knowing the road ahead won’t be easy for New York state, but as someone who cares about the Hudson Valley as much as you do, I know it’s a fight worth having.

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THE FEINER BEAR REPORT

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NYS DEC PRESENTATION- WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A BEAR IN YOUR BACKYARD —YOU TUBE DISCUSSION WITH GREENBURGH TOWN BOARD 

WPCNR THE FEINER REPORT. From Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. June 25t, 2020:

At last night’s Greenburgh Town Board meeting Emily Carrollo, biologist with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation provided the Board with very informative presentation —what to do if you see a bear in your neighborhood. Bears have been sighted at country clubs, playgrounds, in Scarsdale, Hartsdale, Greenburgh and at the City Center shopping area in downtown White Plains.

Emily indicated that the NYS DEC receives most of their calls regarding black bears in June of each year. She mentioned that bears are afraid of humans and usually are harmless.  She discusses reasons why the NYS DEC only infrequently captures the bears and transports them upstate. 

If you see a bear in your backyard or anywhere in Westchester you can call:

  • General Wildlife Line: 845 – 256 – 3098 (is answered by a wildlife staff member)

 – https://youtu.be/snEAvB21u9g


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Meet a MET TONIGHT! BACK TO THE POLO GROUNDS: BASEBALL’S BACK– on “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD” JOHN “BEYOND THE GAME” VORPERIAN AND JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEW THE FIRST NY METS HOME RUN KING ON THE ORIGINAL METS, FRANK’S HOME RUN FEATS, FRANK AND CASEY, THE LET’S GO METS FANS AND BASEBALL TODAY

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Frank Thomas, an “Original” Met of 1962,bashed 34 home runs that season. He also was one of the four players to hit four consecutive home runs, the only time it has ever been done. Hear him reminisce about Casey, the old Polo Grounds fans, baseball when you had to negotiate your salary every year and work in the offseason. Tonight on WPTV’S “People to Be Heard.” Live on the People to Be Heard Line
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144 Years Ago This Afternoon, Custer Sought Glory

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WPCNR MILESTONES. By John F. Bailey. June 25, 2020 Reprinted from the WPCNR archive:   One hundred forty-four years ago today in the
midsummer sweltering heat of the Dakota Badlands, 
Major General George Armstrong Custer and 600 Cavalrymen of the U.S.
Seventh Cavalry were converging to attack a contingent of 2,000 Sioux
and Cheyenne Indians encamped on the Little Big Horn River.

Custer’s troops were in the lead.

Sighting the Enemy Custer, whose strength as a commander was
willingness to engage the enemy by surprise has long been criticized by
historians and military experts for disobeying the command of his
superior General Alfred H. Terry, (commander of the Little Big Horn
campaign), who warned Custer to wait until Terry’s forces arrived to join him before Custer launched any attack.

At about 5 PM this afternoon  today  it was the waning afternoon, 144
years ago, 1876.  225 troopers, Custer, and Mark Kellogg, the Associated
Press correspondent (one of the first “embedded correspondents”) lay
dead strewn across the ridges of the Little Big Horn Valley.

The Indians had so much respect for Reporter Kellogg’s talent, they left
his body alone. To the Sioux, Mr. Kellogg was known as “The Man who
could make paper talk.”

Mr. Kellogg’s foolscap (copy paper) littered the horror of the battlefield.
Kellogg was given a mule to ride by General Terry, and rode into battle
with Custer.

That afternoon, 144 years ago today, the superior Indian force had dealt
the American military its most infamous defeat to date, which would be
chronicled again and again.

Custer’s accomplishments as a military commander though have
suffered as a result of this alleged rash and ill-advised attack.

However, the battle is instructive for all who command, (no matter what position of command they hold), to pay attention to their scouting
reports, and above all conduct scouting forays, and not to ignore whatever personal gains might be achieved by a personally attractive course of action (if you are successful).

Allegedly, Custer had seen a possible victory lead by himself over the
Sioux as a stepping stone to national office.

Instead, he died in action — one of the few U.S. Army Generals to do so.

Few know today, as the statue of General Custer in his hometown of
Monroe, Michigan, says how Custer was instrumental in forcing General Robert E. Lee to surrender by blocking Lee’s retreat at Appomattox in
1865.

Custer’s defeat may have been inevitable but the actions of Major
Reno’s premature breaking off  his initial attack on the Indian
encampment, a disastrous premature, cut-and-run retreat, did not help
Custer’s chances.

Reno’s retreat allowed the counterattacking indians to turn all their force on Custer’s force, getting behind him,  surrounding Custer and his
command and killing them all off within an hour.

Custer’s glory achieved through his death is a sobering reminder every
year for those who ignore facts confronting them, and underestimate
adversaries, and discount adverse conditions.

We should not forget though that Custer was attempting to achieve his
mission. No one can say what really motivated him 144 years ago today
in the early afternoon when he launched his attack.

Second-guessing is the sport of the armchair historians and military
strategists who have the evidence of the result.

Blame is easily distributed. That is the loneliness of command. Combat.
Decisions. Risks. Surprise. They are the stuff that leaders have to deal
with.

On this day, we should look back and remember the courage it took to
engage.

Remember the bravery the Seventh Calvary displayed in defeat (despite
Indian reports of many committing suicide).

Soldiers today demonstrate this courage every day.

We need to admire that courage. I cannot fathom what it takes to be able to be courageous like this.

Leading is not for everyone.
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GOVERNOR CUOMO: HOW NY WILL CHECK ON TRAVELERS FROM COVID FAST-SPREADING STATES TO ENFORCE QUARRANTINING

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From the Governor’s Office. June 25, 2020:

Governor Andrew Cuomo provided details on how travelers from 9 states where coronavirus is spreading, will be checked to see if they quarrantine for 14 days after arrival in New York. He appeared on “New Day” on CNN this morning:

Alisyn Camerota: Joining us now is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Good morning, Governor. Great to see you. First, let me just ask you in practical terms, can you just explain how this is going to work? If there’s a driver driving up on I-95, from Florida, who is going to stop her at the border of New York?

Governor Cuomo: Good to be with you Alisyn. This is not a blockade. I don’t believe a blockade is legal. The federal government at one time threatened to blockade New York which means you couldn’t come in, you couldn’t go out. I don’t believe that’s constitutional, but states do have the authority to regulate their own public health.

The law is if you come in from another state you have to self-quarantine for 14 days. If you don’t, and you get caught, you will have violated the law. You can be fined. It’s like any other law, Alisyn.

You know, you can speed in your car and if you don’t get caught you’re fine. You can drink too much and get in a car and drive home, and if you don’t get caught you’re fine.

But if you fly in to New York, we’ll have your name, we’ll know where you’re supposed to be staying, there will be random checks. You get pulled over by a police officer and he looks at where your residence and says “How long have you been here?”

You get sick, Alisyn, and you go to a hospital from out of state and you test positive and you’ve been within the 14 days, you violated the law. You are going to have a problem.

Alisyn CamerotaBut Governor what do you mean there will be random checks? At people’s homes, people’s workplaces? What does that look like?

Governor Cuomo: Well, we know people who fly in. You fly in here from another state, we know what flight you came in on. And we’ll have inspectors who are randomly looking at the names on the list and calling to follow up to make sure you’re quarantining. And if you’re not you’re in violation of the law and you will have a mandatory quarantine, and you’ll be fined. I think most people are going to honor it. You know, they understand why we’re doing this. We have one of the lowest infection rates in the United States right now. We had one of the highest as you know. We worked very hard in New York, and the people of New York sacrificed for the past three months. They closed down, they wear masks, they socially distance, we have the virus under control and we don’t want to see it go up again. It’s that simple and people understand that. So i think they’re going to honor it because people at the end of the day, they get it now. It took them too long to get it but this country gets it now.

Alisyn CamerotaRemember when Florida did this to New Yorkers, and I remember you being not so pleased and calling it political at that time. So what’s different now?

Governor Cuomo: Oh, it’s still highly political. Look, I said the same thing for three months. You can just play the tape. I was listening to Sanjay on the section before. Three months ago I said we’re playing politics with the virus and the virus is going to win. It was all politics. And the virus – you can’t beat a virus with politics. The virus isn’t Democratic or Republican. We were in political denial. And people were saying “Don’t worry about it. It’s only the flu. Go about your business, open the economy. Lberate, liberate, liberate New York. We took a different track in this state, but I said it’s going to catch up with us, and you’re going to see that virus go up and you’re going to lose Americans you don’t need to lose – and it’s actually going to hurt the economy. It’s not going to help the economy. You open up the economy too fast, the virus goes up, the stock market is going to go down. That’s right where we are and we can’t deny it anymore. We played politics and we lost. Now follow the science. That’s what it’s been about from day one. What we’re saying in New York, look, we did the right thing and New Yorkers paid a terrible cost as you know, Alisyn. They have been locked up. They have been closing their businesses. We have the virus under control finally. We had to flatten the curve. We don’t want to go back.

Alisyn Camerota: Remember back in May when Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida had talked about how basically blocking people from hot spots, at that time New York, had been very effective for Florida. So let me play that for you to remind you.

Governor DeSantis audio: I quarantined them in March and everyone in the New York media was blowing a gasket. That was the right decision. That was the number one landing pad. Had we not done the quarantine you would have had way more cases, the hospitalizations, the whole nine yards. I have no doubt that that quarantine saved lives.

Alisyn Camerota: So, what do you say to him today, now that the tables have turned?

Governor Cuomo: Oh, I say to them all look at the numbers. You played politics with this virus and you lost. You told the people of your state and you told the people of this country, White House, “Don’t worry about it. Just open up, go about your business, this is all Democratic hyperbole.” Oh, really? Now you see 27 states with the numbers going up. You see the death projections going up. You see the economy going down. It was never politics. It was always science. And they were in denial, and denial is not a life strategy. You see now they’re saying, don’t worry, it’s not really that the virus is going up. Just the testing numbers are going up. I don’t even know what that means mathematically. And forget that. Your hospital beds are filling up. You know what that means when your hospital beds fill up, it means more people are getting sick. That’s what’s happening. And it’s now undeniable. This country paid a terrible price. We today, Alisyn, have the lowest hospitalization rates since this started.

Alisyn Camerota: Today. You’re saying New York today is setting a record?

Governor Cuomo: Yes. I’m going to announce the numbers later this morning. But the lowest hospitalization rate since we started. We’re under 1,000 people hospitalized for coronavirus. 996. That is the lowest number since we started. We have 17 deaths today which is one of the lowest numbers since we started.

Alisyn Camerota: Wow.

Governor Cuomo: So, this is after three months, Alisyn, of everyone working hard and doing the right thing and taking this seriously. I got lambasted by everyone saying, “Just open up the economy. You’re overreacting. Don’t listen to all these scientists who are saying the virus could go up. That’s just fear mongering.” It wasn’t. They were facts, and facts are facts, even in this crazy political environment. Even at this crazy political time.

Alisyn Camerota: Yeah.

Governor Cuomo: And the people who played politics now are causing this nation great havoc. You’re seeing it all across the country. You’re seeing the deaths numbers go up. We’ll lose tens of thousands more Americans – it’s a real American tragedy we’re living through.

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