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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Salaries  Go up 1/4% in 2018-19. 3% in each of next two years.

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. November 4, 2019 UPDATED NOVEMBER 5:

The City of White Plains Common Council on the night before election day, approved a stipulated agreement with the White Plains Professional Firegighters who have been without a contract since June 30, 2018. The vote was 6-0, with Councilman John Kirkpatric absent.

The first year of the contract beginning July 1, 2018, calls for a 1-1/2% increase in the step salary levels, but according to the agreement:

“In exchange for the City adopting and paying all of the costs associated with the (firefighters’) pension plan now and in the future, the PFFA will contribute to the cost of  (their) Pension Plan by reducing its  July 1, 2018 salary increase by 1% ( to)0.25% and to waive all retroactive payments (associated there with.”

“The PFFA will further contribute to the cost of the (firefighters) pension plan by waiving the July 1, 2018 Welfare Fund increase of $40 per employee and any retroactive payment associated therewith. Employees will continue to contribute toward their pension plan as required by the New York State Retirement and Social Security Law.”

WPCNR asked the Mayor’s Office for an explanation of the new agreement this morning, because the details of the plan were not included as part of the agenda.

In an unusual phenomena, the backup packet  for all items was also not included below the Common Council agenda on the city website for reference.

The backup packet was eventually published by 2 PM and put on the website.

In year two of the agreement the firemen’s salary schedules will be increased by 3% and also 3% in year three, 2020-2021.

It is unclear what costs the city  will pay of the costs of the firefighters pension plan at this time, i.e. whether all medical costs will be paid by the city, for example. Currently the firefighters WPCNR believes are required to pay 15% of their medical costs.

City hall did not get back to WPCNR there is no telling whether the 3% increases the next two years wipe out the givebacks the PFFA agreed to in the Stipulation of agreement.

It is also unclear how retired firefighters are affected going forward.

Firefighters’ contribution to the Welfare Fund will increase $40 each year of the three year contract.

The Professional Fire Fighters are expected to vote on the agreement Friday.

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WPCNR TRAFFICA. By John F. Bailey, UPDATED NOVEMBER 3, 2019:

A Red Light Surveillance Camera has been installed at the troublesome intersection of North Street and Bryant Avenue, shown above.

It is one of 6 new installations scheduled according to the city to be in operation in November . Besides the Bryant and North Red Light Camera, such surveillance devices (that take a picture of motorists caught in the intersection when the light changes from yellow to red), other new locations are to be looked for at:

Hamilton Avenue and Cottage Place (in the downtown)

Mamaroneck Avenue and Ridgeway (in the southend)

Tarrytown Road at Central Avenue (a key intersection gateway at the County Center)

In October, the following locations were planned to be activated and now be live at this time:

Westchester Avenue at South Kensico Avenue (Westbound gateway to the city)

South Lex Avenue and Maple Avenue (popular cut through to Bryant Avenue

Eastbound Main Street at Bank Street

Westbound Martine Acenue at Mamaroneck Avenue

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the White Plains Department of Public Safety and the White Plains City School District. October 31, 2019:

The White Plains Department of Public Safety received an unscheduled lockdown notification from White Plains High School this afternoon. The Police Department responded in force pursuant to plan.

The Police Department is cleared the building. There is no indication as to why the lockdown notification was sent. There are no injuries at the school.

The Police Department is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the lockdown notification. At this time it appears to be a computer error.  Due to the police activity surrounding the clearance of the lockdown, there was a delay in dismissal.

Once the lockdown was lifted buses transported students home on their usual routes, and parents were notified they could pick up their children at the Bryant Baptist Church parking lot.

Dr. Joseph Ricca, White Plains Superintendent of Schools released this statement’:

At approximately 1:55PM, the White Plains High School’s lockdown alarm system was triggered for unknown reasons and the building immediately implemented the lockdown protocol.  Police responded to the campus and quickly cleared the building. Further investigation revealed the lockdown alarm system was activated due to a system malfunction.  Occupants of the building were released from lockdown at 3:30 PM. An investigation into the cause of the malfunction is already underway.

The White Plains City School District (WPCSD) continually conducts drills of both lockdown and other protocols.  Our staff and students are well trained are to be commended for responding to the alarm in calm and proficient manner. We would also like to thank the White Plains Police Department for their prompt response and outstanding assistance in managing this incident. We are grateful to all.

We know how any unusual event in our schools can be a source of anxiety for parents and guardians. While the initial natural reaction in an unusual event may be to rush to your child’s school, parents are encouraged not to respond to the school and wait for specific instructions from the district.

This allows both our staff and emergency response partners to investigate and manage the incident promptly and effectively. Managing a large volume of parents arriving at the school only delays our ability to mitigate the incident and return to normal operations.  The district has detailed emergency plans for a wide-range of emergency situations, which are practiced on a regular basis. Thank you for your understanding.

As you know, the WPCSD takes the safety of all students and staff very seriously and recognizes the need to be timely and transparent regarding incidents that may impact our school community.  We will always act out of an abundance of caution to ensure all our students and staff are safe both inside and out of our buildings.

We apologize to our students, staff and parents for any unnecessary stress this alarm malfunction may have caused. We are committed to thoroughly investigating the cause of the malfunction to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

Thank you for all your patience and understanding.

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WPCNR BOOKMARKS. By John F. Bailey OCTOBER 30, 2019:

WPCNR has noted that the White Plains Public Library attracts today’s big name authors when they are having a new “Best Seller” is coming out. It’s a must stop.

This year is no exception because the library will host Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City(2003), and the blockbuster In the Garden of Beasts (2011) –a scathing eye-opening book on how the American State Department ignored the plight of German Jews in the 1930s even when their own ambassador to Berlin reported fearlessly on the march to the holocaust.

Mr. Larson specializes in “You Are There” impeccably researched and sourced from real documents and letters creating riveting narratives that keep you forging ahead as he covers an historical event as a journalist would, but he reads like a novel. He delivers blunt insights on how historical events that alter and illuminated our time . His most recent book was Dead Wake (2015), which examined the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 told from documentation from both sides.

This spring the White Plains Public Library will present Mr. Larson at their annual Gala on March 14, 2020 as the featured author.

Mr. Larson’s new book that you can acquire by attending the spring Library Gala is about Winston Churchill. Given the circumstances Mr. Larson has rounded up in the three books I mentioned earlier I cannot wait to see how approaches Mr. Churchill.

Thriller aficianados, history buffs and damn good read enthusiasts are advised to keep March 14 in mind. Look for the official invitation for one of the best galas going and this year will be most interesting.

I know I will be there!

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