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 WEDNESDAY GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING. From the Governor’s Press Office. June 3, 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced outdoor dining at restaurants will be permitted in phase two of reopening.

Restaurants in the seven regions that have already entered phase two – the Capital Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier and Western New York – can reopen for outdoor dining beginning tomorrow, June 4th.

Outdoor tables must be spaced six feet apart, all staff must wear face coverings and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated.

Governor Cuomo also announced that Erie County is now eligible to resume elective surgeries and ambulatory care. The Governor previously announced that the state will allow elective outpatient treatments to resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term, and a total of 52 counties can now resume elective surgeries (4 counties do not have hospitals).

“COVID-19 is still a real threat and we’re still battling it. I know it’s not on the front pages today, but it is still in people and in society,” Governor Cuomo said. “But thanks to the people of New York and the nurses, doctors and essential workers, today we have the lowest number of hospitalizations ever and we have the lowest death toll ever. We are continuously evaluating activities that can be safely reopened, and today we are adding outdoor seating at restaurants to phase two.”

The Governor also confirmed 1,045 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 374,085 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 374,085 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County	Total Positive	New Positive
Albany	1,920	20
Allegany	49	1
Broome	589	11
Cattaraugus	90	1
Cayuga	96	3
Chautauqua	89	3
Chemung	137	0
Chenango	133	0
Clinton	97	0
Columbia	399	8
Cortland	41	0
Delaware	82	0
Dutchess	3,951	15
Erie	6,234	61
Essex	38	0
Franklin	23	0
Fulton	213	1
Genesee	202	0
Greene	241	0
Hamilton	5	0
Herkimer	113	2
Jefferson	74	0
Lewis	20	0
Livingston	120	1
Madison	319	2
Monroe	3,048	59
Montgomery	94	1
Nassau	40,644	72
Niagara	1,067	19
NYC	204,872	495
Oneida	1,058	9
Onondaga	2,256	28
Ontario	215	6
Orange	10,460	11
Orleans	246	5
Oswego	112	2
Otsego	73	0
Putnam	1,264	2
Rensselaer	495	2
Rockland	13,259	36
Saratoga	489	5
Schenectady	701	5
Schoharie	51	0
Schuyler	12	0
Seneca	60	1
St. Lawrence	206	1
Steuben	243	1
Suffolk	40,062	82
Sullivan	1,393	1
Tioga	133	2
Tompkins	165	1
Ulster	1,701	5
Warren	256	1
Washington	238	1
Wayne	120	4
Westchester	33,691	58
Wyoming	87	1
Yates	39	0

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. June 1, 2030:

Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced today the formation of the Westchester County Reopening Task Force – a group charged with working to find solutions to advance the interests of local businesses in a post-coronavirus economy.

Latimer said: “What we have here is a group of individuals who have served in a variety of capacities, to serve in this particular capacity, to help organize our efforts to reach out to the businesses of Westchester County and do everything we can to help them reopen as fast as possible and as successfully as possible.”

This task force will provide guidance to the County as it works through the four phases of reopening and help ensure that businesses in each phase have what they need to reopen safely and successfully.

The task force is co-chaired by Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker, a former small business owner and past President, Rye Chamber of Commerce, and Louis Lanza, a restaurateur with businesses in Westchester County. Both bring deep expertise and broad connections which will enable the task force to maximize its impact.

Parker said: “I see this reopening task force as a unified voice for all different sectors of business in Westchester County with the ‘rock stars’ of those sectors. This will be a way to get Westchester back to where we were – and even better than before.”

Lanza said: “Restaurants are working ahead of the curve in getting ready everything they will need to do to open. We can do this safely. There are safe ways of running our businesses and once we get the go ahead, we can safely reopen and serve our customers.”

Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ben Boykin said: “This is an important challenge. We are in a place we have never been before and we must reopen in a more vibrant and smarter way so businesses can survive, grow and move to the next level.”

The task force will play a significant role in communicating out to the business and nonprofit communities, their colleagues and the organizations that they lead about guidelines and best practices as our region enters each stage of phased reopening. The task force will also establish working groups that will focus on each critical area such as health care, labor, hospitality, general business, etc.  These working groups will allow for all Westchester business owners to have an opportunity to give input.

The first meeting of the Reopening Task Force will take place this Thursday at 10:00am via Webex and it anticipates meeting virtually going forward.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. From the Governor’s Press Office. June 1. 2020:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio today announced a citywide curfew in New York City will take effect beginning at 11 PM tonight and will be lifted at 5 AM tomorrow morning.

The Governor and the Mayor also announced that the New York City Police Department will double its police presence to help prevent violence and property damage. The additional officers will be deployed to areas where violence and property damage occurred during last night’s protests – specifically in lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.

The Governor and the Mayor also reminded New Yorkers participating in protests to take proper health precautions and wear face coverings while we continue to fight the COVID-19 virus.

“I stand behind the protestors and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment,” Governor Cuomo said. 

“The violence and the looting has been bad for the city, the state and this entire national movement, undermining and distracting from this righteous cause. While we encourage people to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, the safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised. 

Tonight the Mayor and I are implementing a citywide curfew starting at 11 PM and doubling the NYPD presence across the city.”

“I support and protect peaceful protest in this city. The demonstrations we’ve seen have been generally peaceful. We can’t let violence undermine the message of this moment. It is too important and the message must be heard. Tonight, to protect against violence and property damage, the Governor and I have decided to implement a citywide curfew,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

“The Police Commissioner and I have spoken at length about the incidents we’ve all seen in recent days where officers didn’t uphold the values of this city or the NYPD. We agree on the need for swift action. He will speak later today on how officers will be held accountable.”

The Governor in a letter tonight said: ” Mayor de Blasio and I spoke today and agreed to implement the curfew. In addition, the NYPD will double its presence to help prevent violence and property damage. While we encourage people to protest peacefully, unfortunately, there are those who have exploited the protests as a cover for criminal activities. The safety of the general public is paramount and cannot be compromised.

2. Be aware of the risk of COVID-19 at protests. The Health Commissioner and I are concerned that the large protests may increase the spread of COVID-19. While the right to protest peacefully is sacrosanct, I nevertheless urge all protesters to take precautions like wearing a mask or face covering if participating in a protest. It would be terrible for the progress we have made on this virus to be undone.

 3. Two regions are expected to enter Phase 2 of reopening this week. Tomorrow Western New York is expected to enter Phase 2, followed by the Capital Region on Wednesday, June 3, pending a review of regional data by global public health experts. 

4. We have the lowest rate of positive test results since the pandemic began. Yesterday the state performed 50,000 tests and only 941 people, or 2%, were positive. That is the lowest number yet of positive cases.

 5. The total number of COVID hospitalizations is steadily declining. Total hospitalizations fell to 3,331, from 3,436 the day before. Yesterday, we had 183 new COVID hospitalizations. Sadly, 54 New Yorkers died of the virus — the lowest number since March.  

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2020. From Catherine Parker Campaign. May 31, 2020:

Back in March, I put my campaign to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District on hold as the full breadth of the Covid-19 pandemic became apparent.  The race is expensive, and I could just not justify asking donors for more money in the midst of a health and economic disaster.   In the last 10 weeks I have been immersed in a crash course on how our world is changing.  As a County Legislator in Westchester’s 7th District my days are consumed with a procession of new and unique problems, some dealing with county finances and services, others revolving around the day-to-day troubles of constituents whose lives and businesses have been upended.   As we approach the final month of the New York Primary campaign I have decided to make the March “pause” permanent:  I am officially suspending my campaign operation. I understand that my name is still on the ballot but I cannot justify the time and expense of this political fight at this moment in history.  There is a lot of money already in this race and I simply will not run about hat-in-hand when I’ve discovered I have something to give instead. I am honored that County Executive George Latimer has offered me the opportunity to co-chair Westchester’s new Pandemic Reopening Task Force. This crisis has been an education for me and I am grateful for the opportunity to put the lessons to work immediately.

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The Silence of the “Leaders”

WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. May 31, 2020:

The silence in the violence.

The President did not address the nation.

The former President did not address the nation.

The presumed nominee for the Democratic Nomination for President did not speak.  (This astounded me.)

Members of Congress did not address the nation. (This did not astound me.)

Governors did not speak last night. (Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York did speak out on the violence, Saturday morning and you can hear what he said on this site—but nobody listened)

Personalities who ran for President in the Democratic primaries did not speak

Who did?

Mayors whose cities were being burned and looted by mobs and protesters spoke.

Police Commissioners pointing out the discipline it takes not to defend yourself when someone throws a brick at your head or a Molotov cocktail into your Police Van.

News Commentators who said America is in crisis. America is not in crisis.  It is simply celebrating a tradition of wrecking neighborhoods and taunting and threatening and attempting to kill police in revenge for a killing of someone they never knew.

I was in Washington D.C. in 1968 when central Washington D.C. erupted into riots of destruction after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinagted.

The riots spread up to 16^th Street and then progressed no farther. I was working at WMAL TV on Connecticut Avenue NW at the time and the fear of what we would do at the studios if they advanced up Connecticut Avenue was there.

We had one reporter on the scene in the midst of the rioting. His name was Bernie Johns, the station’s lone black newsman. He mainly covered traffic accidents. But when the riots erupted they assigned him to go into the violence. Bernie delivered. He was brave. He reported in somber tones what was being done. Looting. Burning out businesses. His voiceover commentary over the newsfilm brought home eloquently the futility of the fires. But I remember after the riot stopped, Bernie immediately went back covering traffic accidents. No Emmy for Bernie. He left the station shortly thereafter.

I always regret I never got to shake his hand and say how great he was those nights on those reports. It brought home to me the obstacle minorities face. You have to be better far better at what you do than anyone who is white doing it. And even then, you may not be recognized for your efforts

But, another thing I remember at that time, was black leaders speaking out to calm the black neighborhoods protesting the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassination which ignited the riots. 

The President spoke. I believe Ralph Abernathy spoke on the airwaves. Senator Ed Brooke spoke. John Lindsey the Mayor of New York City walked the streets at night trying to calm a sweltering New York City in Harlem. My point was that leaders spoke up tried to calm the populaces destroying the places they lived in. They reached out. They cared.

Last night in the three hours of coverage I saw, street reporters purported to know what was the attitudes of the crowds as if they knew and reporting what they thought was happening. They were very brave to be there, but you cannot report opinion as fact, in my opinion.

I was particularly struck by the reporter who said police gave no warnings in Minneapolis, ignoring the fact that people were told there was a curfew. The best coverage I saw was on Fox 5 in New York whose reporters just reported what they saw, not what they thought. The Channel 2 News at 11 wrapped up the sequences of the day factually.

But in three hours I saw no leader on television being interviewed who took on the responsibility of speaking reason and empathy with the situation to try and calm it down.

This was a tough spot. Politicians hate tough spots.

The persons most missing in reaction was Barack Obama and his wife. Who better than the first African-American President to talk sense to white and minority alike?

Mayor William De Blasio of New York City I felt should have taken control and spoken out. I would not go into that situation and walk the streets, but maybe I might. You never know. Previous clips of him were aired, but none in the moments of the Brooklyn rioting.

Governor Andrew Cuomo I think could have had an effect. I was surprised he did not come on from wherever he was. I was a little disappointed because the rioting in New York was in the very places the city has to lower the coronavirus infection rate to open by next Monday. I am sure the testing sites promised by the Governor opening in conjunction with churches  promised in the Saturday morning talk are going to be delayed. And, need I say that the rioting of lawless fire-setters and looters in close proximity may spike the number of infections? l saw many were wearing masks; How ironic? If I were Governor Cuomo watching that I would be in tears.

The persons marching thinking they  were helping last night made a classic mistake. They were not New York Tough, New York Smart or New York Loving. They were New York Weak. New York Dumb. New York Hating. And New York Selfish. They were New York Nasty.

For 90 days the police of New York protected them. Helped them get coronavirus victims to hospitals. Helped them. Got infected themselves. And protestors hurled bricks at them. Molotov Cocktails. Burned police cars. Scrawled obscenities on police cars. Injured officers. 

It was a New York Disgrace.

Now, when the police ask me to do something, after I am uppity to them or attempt to strike them and they try to arrest me. I do not resist. That is what causes 4 officers to wrestle me to the ground as I saw. And when you attempt to kick an officer in the face. You think he might get mad? Just maybe. New York Dumb.

Where were Senators Gillebrand and Schumer. They send out lots of news releases. You think one of them might come on live and try and calm the situation. They had Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night and probably tonight too, the way things are going.

How about Nita Lowey, the candidates for her seat. What an opportunity to voice leadership. Where was Peter King from Staten Island.

And truly the one voice I heard was Cory Johnson the head of the New York City Council denouncing the police. That was really helpful. It was New York Dumb. New York Selfish. New York Partisan. Cory Johnson doing the politically correct thing. What would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have said? Not what Cory Johnson said.

Go down to Brooklyn tonight Mr. Johnson and help calm the situation.

And where are State Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Shelly Mayer, and all the New York Delegation put your masks on, go down there and talk sense to the persons down there who are dissing 19 Million New Yorkers by sabotaging the New York Reopening with this protest which does not apply to the New York Police at all.

They could have stood up Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

But maybe I’m wrong maybe Senators Gellibrand  and Schumer were hold a joint press conference this morning.

You all have too.

You who would protest against authorities remember when mobs take over and the police do nothing your homes, your neighborhood businesses and you are in danger.

Mobbing is not a social feel good event, to make yourself feel relevant and righteous.

It is violence and an excuse for lawless behavior in service of something you never ever cared about anyway. You may think you do, but you don’t if you did what you did the last three days.

You have to walk the talk, not act in total opposite that as Governor Cuomo said yesterday defeats the purpose of your protest, and I quote:

“I figuratively stand with the protestors, but violence is not the answer. It never is the answer. As a matter of fact, it is counterproductive because the violence then obscures the righteousness of the message and the mission. And you lose the point by the violence in response. And it allows people who would choose to scapegoat to point violence rather than the action that created the reaction. The violence allows people to talk about the violence, as opposed to honestly addressing the situation that incited the violence. The violence doesn’t work. Martin Luther King, Dr. King, God rest his soul. He taught us this. He taught us this. He knew better than anyone who is speaking to us today on this issue. “Returning hate for hate, multiplies hate. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”