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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BIDDING WAR OVER NEW TEST BUYING. URGES FEMA TO TAKE OVER.

WPCNR GOVERNOR CUOMO BRIEFING REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 14, 2020:

Governor Andrew Cumo addressed the difference of opinion between him and President Donald Trump in the daily briefing this morning in Albany over presidential powers.

He said the matter of bringing back state economies is too big a matter to pick a fight over. He said four times in the conference “I will not fight with the President.”

Governor Cuomo also said, “I will fight to protect the citizens of New York State.

The governor announced 778 New York residents died yesterday from the corona virus bringing the state total to 10,884 since the epidemic began 44 days ago.

In discussing the plan for recovery for the New York metropolitan area, the Governor said  the figures from yesterday continue to show the state has reached the apex and is continuing in a plateau of the progress of the disease.

Positive indicators, he said continued to hold up the state analysis. The net hospitalizans curve is down. The number of new corona virus hospitalizations yesterday was 1,649. The net hospitalizations yesterday were down. The new incubations(putting patients on ventilators) was at an all-time low.

In the news conference “Q & A,” the governor said he saw the same kind of bidding war developing in New York competing with other states to purchase tests, because only a handful of testing companies make tests, and the kind of tests New York State wants, (tests with 95% accuracy). The governor urged the government to step and purchase the tests and distribute.

“Don’t replicate the 50-state pandemonium in purchasing medical equipment in purchasing tests in an EBAY bidding war,” the governor warned. Governor Cuomo said in order to open up New York City and the metropolitan area there has to be a lot of tests done as people return to work, as just one of the problems in reopening that has to be addressed.

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 WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From County Board of Legislators. April 14, 2020:

Pursuant to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.15, the Board of Legislators has established a special phone-in procedure for the public hearing scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, on a proposed relief measure for property taxpayers.

The public may participate in the hearing by phone.  Participants can register to speak by 3 p.m. by calling the Clerk of Board at 914-995-4604 or sending an email to BOLpublichearingcomments@westchestergov.com.  Hearing participants will call 914-995-2800 after the public hearing is opened at 7:30 p.m. We expect public comments to be heard until 8 p.m.

The proposed measure would provide relief for Westchester property taxpayers this year because of the coronavirus epidemic.

The measure, whose details were suggested by a consortium of Town Supervisors, will give Towns the authority to reduce penalties for late payments of County and Town taxes and County district taxes, through July 15. 

It is designed to provide relief to property taxpayers while giving Towns a tool they can fairly and uniformly apply, without requiring an application by taxpayers or an administrative process of evaluating individual hardship claims.

Town and County property taxes and assessments are due April 30.

Under the proposed measure, penalties for late payments from May 1-May 31 would be reduced from two percent to one-half percent. For taxes paid from June 1 through July 15, penalties would be reduced from five percent to one percent.

Towns will have the ability to opt out of the program if they choose.

The County law would not apply to Westchester’s cities which have their own authority to set rates and do not need a change in County law to adjust penalties.

The public may also submit written comment after the hearing is opened. Responses to the public hearing may be emailed toBOLpublichearingcomments@westchestergov.com or sent by mail ATTN: Clerk of the Board of Legislators, 148 Martine Ave., 8th Floor, White Plains, NY 10601.  Written comments may be submitted up until by 5 p.m. Friday, April 17.

The hearing is on the matter of RES-2020-36: PH-Amending Westchester County Tax Law — A “LOCAL LAW amending Chapter 283 of the Laws of Westchester County relating to the Westchester County Tax Law.”     Local Law Intro 12598- 2020.

For details see the agenda of the April 14 meeting at:https://westchestercountyny.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=5701

All Board meetings are streamed live on our website, Westchesterlegislators.com.

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GOVERNORS ON SAME PAGE: HEALTH RECOVERY PRIORITY BEFORE ECONOMIC RESTART

WPCNR RECOVERY REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 13, 2020:

Seven Governors of the northeastern states hardest hit by coronavirus infections agreed this afternoon to work together with three state experts from each of their states to develop a cohesive  plan to reopen their states.

Late this afternoon, Governor Cumo’s office announced Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker had joined the group, commenting, “The Baker-Polito Administration looks forward to participating in discussions with neighboring states and experts regarding the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts also remains focused on efforts to expand testing, ensure hospital capacity and provide the necessary PPE to those on the front lines to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.

All agreed recovery would depend on the state of the health of their states the primary priority before they open businesses to resuscitate their state economies.

The first step will be for each Governor to appoint a three person task force of state Chief of Staff, Economic officer and state Health officer to develop an individual state plan within a week and then the plan requirements by state would be formulated into one plan taking into account the interaction of the five adjacent states.

Three governors already had their staffs selected: Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York.

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York hosted the teleconference. Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Governor John Carney of Delaware, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Tom Wolfe of Pennsylvania and Governor Gina Raimomdo of Rhode Island attended the news conference via telephone Each agreed that, since not all were at a point where their states were at plateau stage of the coronavirus spread, that public health was the primary factor.

The task force of 18 experts who will be formulating each individual state reopening plan sequence will compare plans and adjust them in discussion with the six governors, beginning within a week.

Governor Cuomo expressed that Pennsylvania’s Governor Wolf’s comment that the coordinated plan had another mission to restore the sense of hope that has been devastated the dreams and hopes of thousands as a secondary collective catastrophe of the coronavirus.

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WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 12, 2020 UPDATED 2:50 PM EDT:

Governor Andrew Cuomo said today hydroxychloroquine, the drug currently in a federal drug trial as a treatment for coronavirus patients, is showing “some success.” The Governor said sources have told him personally of the drug showing some success. The Governor said he expected a report by April 20

The source was via text messages the governor has received “anecdotally” from persons involved in the trials. The Governor said he hopes it works, that we all hope it works.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor announced he will issue an Executive Order directing employers to provide essential workers with cloth or surgical masks free of charge to wear when directly interacting with the public.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said the number of hospitalization rates of corona patients, continued to lower, “flattening the curve of infections” and lowering the curve of infections across the state today. He reported another 753 deaths  from the disease Saturday raising the state total to 9,385 statewide.

He said he would have a meeting with the Governors of Connecticut and New Jersey to begin discussions on how New York, New Jersey and Conecticut could “reopen.” The Governor said a plan that is not coordinated “will not work,” that it will not be his plan, but it will be an agreed-upon compromise between the three governors.

He stated that Schools remain closed throughout the state (with computer classes being taught via communication with teachers who are staying at their home and teaching students in the student’s home), confirming that New York City schools would continue teaching through computers in the homes of students. He said he spoke with Mayor William DeBlasio of New York City and Mr. DeBlasio will continue follow the closure with instruction via computer in the homes of NYC students.

He reinforced his message of Saturday saying it was too soon to tell how June would be handled, whether a “Reopening” could happen or not, due to the performance of so many forecasts on the spread of the disease 4 weeks ago, that varied greatly.

He said that the National Governors Association (of which he is Vice Chairman ) has sent a letter to Washington, calling for $500 Billion dollars in new direct aid to the states to aid in recovering from the effects of the coronavirus on the state economies.

In the “Q. A” press  questioning, Melissa DeRosa, Executive Secretary to the Governor, said the complaints by nurses and health professionals that their hospitals did not have enough supplies, appears to be which rules of supply their hospital were working under.

She said the Center for Disease Control Guidelines on when certain supplies should be worn varied from state Crisis Guidelines. To avoid this, she said the state Command Center (handling shipping of supplies) is asking administrators (who request the supplies from the Command Center) specify what guidelines they are requesting the supplies under). The confusion nurses are complaining of apparently comes from the medical personnel feeling they should have more protection in certain professional to patient situations due to a discrepancy in the two systems of guidelines.

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“SAYS NY CITY SCHOOLS WILL NOT CLOSE FOR REST OF SCHOOL YEAR, SUGGESTS REPEALING SALT LAW TO JUMPSTART ANY REOPENING. HOSPITALS NOT TURNING AWAY PEOPLE. 8,627 Deaths Statewide. (6,201 in NYC. 505 in Westchester County,

WPCNR CORONAVIRUS REPORT. By John F. Bailey. April 11, 2020:

Governor Cuomo Treported the 7^th straight day of positive control of the coronavirus epidemic, “We are continuing to flatten the curve.”

He said when questioned on reports people were being turned away from hospitals, “That is not true. Hospitals now have empty beds.” He explained that people are being transferred to other hospitals if the hospital they go to for treatment is close to capacity, and the persons are urged or transferred to another hospital less crowded.

The Governor in response to a reporter’s question said that Mayor William DeBlasio’s announcement this morning that New York City Schools would be closed for the rest of the school was not correct.

The Governor said he wanted to coordinate any decisions with the schools with the metropolitan area counties, the upstate counties, and Connecticut and New Jersey. When asked a question about New York City parents being confused about schools being closed, the governor said “I just clarified that.”

He amplified that comment in the “Q. & A.” session, by saying “I don’t see how you open businesses when schools are closed, because many parents depend on the schools for day care, and would have to find other day care, or stay home and not work.”

(Currently, New York City Schools  are teaching students by computer, in classes in their homes. The students go to via computer, with teachers teaching from their homes). 

The Governor said decisions on the schools when they would open or close, would have to be “coordinated for the Metropolitan area (NYC, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk), preferably  upstate, and ideally regionally (Connecticut, New Jersey).” He said he would poll all county executives in the state on school policy changes.

The Governor said the number of deaths Statewide rose from yesterday to 8,627, with 783 deaths yesterday.

According to Covid-19 Tracker, 6,201 of those statewide deaths are residents of New York City. 505 deaths have occurred in Westchester County. In New York City, Brooklyn has 1,843 deaths; Queens, 1,655; The Bronx, 1,242; Manhattan, 1,172; Staten Island, 289. Nassau County, 965 deaths; Suffolk,469 Deaths. Nassau and Suffolk County are rising in coronavirus cases still as of today.

He closed saying the way forward to reopening the state would rely on a new study the state will conduct to determine how reopenings have gone in previous  cities afflicted by the virus, so the state can make an informed decision on reopening based on the reopenings in cities Wuhan, Singapoore, Hong Kong, Italy.

The Governor said the road to reopening should not be based on politics. He complimented President Donald Trump for his responding to New York requests.

He suggested a help to a successful New York reopening would be a repeal of the SALT (State & Local Taxes) legislation that puts a $10,000 limit on the amount New York taxpayers could deduct  interest, expenses, and state taxes from their 2019 federal income taxes.

In the “Q & A”, Governor Cuomo he does not want to go to Washington, D.C., as Vice President, President or cabinet position. He said he is happy in his present job, and feels that New York needs him perhaps “more than ever before.”