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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A Snow event arriving as predicted at 3 PM has created road havoc and a very nasty night for travelers in Westchester and White Plains

WPCNR TRAFFICA. From WPCNR Correspondents. November 15, 2018:

Rush hour in Westchester County has turned into a bumper car mess. Traffic is snarled in central White Plains, with motorists reporting that cars are stalled in intersections due to slippery, uncleared, apparently untreated roads creating slippery conditions on even flat roadways.

It has taken one motorist 3 hours to get from Elmsford into White Plains.

The White Plains conditions, usually with the best snow preparations in Westchester, are inexplicable.

WPCNR advises those comtemplating travel in White Plains this evening not to start out.

The experience one caller told WPCNR was that Route 119 (Tarrytown Road) was at a standstill from Exit 5 west bound on I-287 into Main Street in White Plains. From South Lexington to Bank Street nothing was moving. They also reported I-287 was backed up in both directions.

“I am absolutely shocked there were no White Plains Police officers at intersections to keep traffic moving.”

As of 7:45, the motorist said, Mamaroneck Avenue was clear and plows were beginning to come through.  At point they said they stopped to let a car through an intersection, then they could not get their vehicle moving again. They also said the windshield wipers froze to the windshield.

As of 8 PM it appears to be sleeting.

Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor filed this report:

The roads continue to be horrible. School children have been stuck on buses—caught in traffic gridlock for hours.  And, parents are worried about their children. Some residents report that they have been abandoning their cars on roads –walking home.

That’s a mistake. It makes it difficult for our highway crews to clear the roads and cars left in the middle of the road may have to be towed.  Many fender benders.  Just got a call from a resident whose husband has been stuck on the Saw Mill River Parkway for  two hours.

Received an e mail from a woman stuck on an exit from the Henry Hudson Parkway near Pelham.

Lohud.com reports that the “Thursday evening commute is gridlocked all over. “The number of accidents quickly added up and blocked lanes on almost every major interstate and highway.  Traffic is stop and go for miles. All primary roadways in Pelham and surrounding jurisdictions in Westchester County are currently in major gridlock. All highways are either temporarily closed or at a complete standstill, the Pelham Police posted.”

If one subscribes to the notion that misery likes company –it seems like every community is experiencing similar problems.

Lohud pointed out –—“the slip and slide conditions that caused the high number of accidents Thursday evening and turned the highways into parking lots are because of a thin layer of ice under the snow. When the snow came in, it came in intense, and the ground was very cold so it accumulated quickly….the snow that first fell melted, refroze, and created a layer of ice under the snow.”

Another reason for the problems every community in Westchester and the town of Greenburgh are experiencing: the snow came down around rush hour. Many people left work at the same time. If a car is in an accident – there is gridlock on the road.  Causing hours of traffic congestion.

  Many of the roads that have experienced problems (W Hartsdale Ave, Dobbs Ferry Road, Knollwood) are NYS roads. And –the NYS highway crews have not been as visible as we would have liked.

As the evening progresses – road conditions should improve.   I’m staying at the office for a while.  We have all our crews out trying to do the best we can. But, if a truck is stuck in traffic gridlock and can’t move –the highway vehicle can’t do much good for anyone.

Sorry for the inconveniences.   I have been talking with the Deputy Commissioner of Public Works all night and with the Police Chief. We will review what happened. And try to learn from this horrible experience. We will try to do better in the future.

PAUL FEINER

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WPCNR ALL ABOARD. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. November 14, 2018:

In a letter to Amtrak Chairman Anthony R. Coscia, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, joined by 45 leaders in a bi-partisan fashion including Westchester’s House of Representatives delegation and the entire Board of Legislators, requested Amtrak’s cooperation in moving the Penn Station Access project forward.  This would provide a critical rail connection for Westchester to the west side of Manhattan and the East Bronx.

Latimer said: “This project would significantly revitalize our region through its creation of a one-seat ride into Penn Station from Westchester for the first time ever. Not only would this save significant time and money for hard-working commuters, it would also alleviate congestion issues at Grand Central Terminal while providing flexibility to the thousands who commute from the Bronx to Westchester each day.”

This project is long overdue. The existing rail lines already exist and the MTA has even agreed to pick up some of the costs of rebuilding certain portions of the line infrastructure to get this project to the finish line. Amtrak has decided to requested additional fees on top of this commitment, fees it does not collect from other commuter lines.

Currently, MTA Capital Construction (MTACC) has a plan to build four new Metro-North Railroad (MNR) stations in the East Bronx that would also service Westchester commuters by connecting the New Haven Line to Penn Station directly. To move forward with this vital project, Amtrak must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is an agreement that aligns work schedules and scope and allows MTACC reasonable access to Amtrak-owned tracks and right-of-way. MTACC was prepared to bring the contract for preliminary design to its Board in May, but this action has been delayed due to the lack of a negotiated MOU.

The letter, signed by federal, state and local officials, goes on to say “Our continued economic development relies on stronger public transportation options and we encourage Amtrak to be a partner in these ongoing efforts. We are calling on Amtrak to come to an agreement on the MOU and allow work to move forward on the Penn Station Access project. Our offices stand ready to assist in any way possible to ensure MTACC and Amtrak can quickly reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

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WPCNR STARS AND STRIPES. By John F. Bailey. November 11, 2018:

It is the 11th day of the 11th month, and it is 1918. Armistice Day  100 years after the day when World War I “The Great War to end all Wars” officially ended.

Sadly, the way “The Great War” ended and subsequent reparations penalties on Germany, was the beginning of a century of war:  the Spanish Civil War,  World War II, the Holocaust, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the 6-Day War,  the first Iraq War, the Afghanistan War that never ends, and of course the war on immigrants and refugees.

I wrote the piece that follows in 2013 that delivers some of the feelings of about this ironic day.

WPCNR STARS AND STRIPES. By John F. Bailey. November 12, 2013:

I attended the Veterans Day Ceremony in White Plains Rural Cemetery Monday.  I met Ross Marsico,(above) the 90 year old  veteran of World War II who fought with the Third Army in France, Belgium and Germany. He was wounded by shrapnel, spent 45 days in a hospital THEN returned to active duty.

Mr. Marsico returned to the USA and spent 30 years as an active policeman in Harrison. He was honored as the 2013 Veteran’s Day Honoree

Mr. Marsico is a native of White Plains, just turned 90 yesterday, is an outstanding person to have the honor to meet. When he was asked questions how he felt about being  honored, he said he just represented all the other veterans and every day people who had served, that it was not about him. Then he teared up.

Veterans day makes you tear up.

Chaplain Bob Donnelly of American Legion Post 135 in the invocation observed that the gathering was there to honor persons who had written a “blank check to the United States of America, good for everything including their life in service to their country.”

Adele Zucker(above , Past President of Jewish War Veterans Ladies Auxiliary, said  Veterans day was to honor the veterans who came back and have contributed so much to their hometowns in addition to their military service. 

Chaplain Bob Donnelly noted that when he returned from the Vietnam war he was spat upon by a woman in an airport and called a baby killer, and observed today’s veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan  conflicts are much more respected.

Then came brief  inspiration remarks by the Mayor, Tom Roach, who proclaimed Monday Veteran’s Day in White Plains  and U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Jason Freeland(below)

Sergeant Freeland, in his most recent tour, was responsible for training Afghan army and police recruits. He is now head of recruiting for the Marines in White Plains. He mentioned how honored he was to be among the veterans attending, and how it was their and those like them who service that make it possible for him and today’s servicemen and women to perform and live up to the veterans’ example. This  truth was echoed again how you serve matters and it is an inspiration to those who come after you.

Mayor Roach with Commandant Jack Collins of American Legion Post 135  places the Mayor’s Veteran’s Day Board Wreath at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

The Home Defense Wreathis placed by members of the White Plains Police and Fire Department

Dennis Jones, left, places the White Plains Historical Society Wreath. Joan Steere , Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed the final commemorative wreath.

The White Plains Middle School Band played Anchors Aweigh, The Caissons Go Rolling Along, The Marines Hymn, Semper Fidelis (Coast Guard), and Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder (Air Force).

Crisp. Inspiring, evoking the rich traditions and pride and sacrifice of the American armed forces.

As the gathering left, the tent was folded, and the crowd drifted away, until another Memorial Day another Veterans Day.

I remained and watched the tombstones of the Revolutionary War Dead…names no longer readable on the stones, they still spoke as one.

Cemeteries like the White Plains Rural Cemetery inspire by the testimony of the simple stones, the tiny flags denoting veterans and the stones too of every day people of long ago who lived well. As I read their stones I wonder what their lives were like their thoughts, their actions in that long ago time.

Cemeteries are not places of regret, but, instead inspiration to ignite in us, with their  memories, to continue to work on our own lives and live up to the examples of persons like the veterans still with us and those who have departed.

Rifle Salute to the Departed Veterans by American Legion Post #135, was followed by Taps, played by Bob Freis

The veterans are getting older.

James Dwyer of American Legion Post 135 was scheduled  to read Flanders Field. He could not  due to illness according to Commander Jack Collins. This is the touching poem penned in World War I, Mr. Dywer would have read. He could not, so I will publish it for him.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders field

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JOHN BAILEY INTERVIEWS

WESTCHESTER LABOR LEADERS

TOM CAREY,

PRESIDENT

WESTCHESTER PUTNAM COUNTIES CENTRAL LABOR BODY

LENORE FRIEDLAENDER

VICE PRESIDENT

SERVICE EMPLOYEES UNION INTERNATIONAL 32BJ

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ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD

DISCUSS

LABOR’S RESPONSE TO NATIONAL PUSHBACK AGAINST UNIONS

LOCAL WESTCHESTER HOSPITAL DIFFERENT CHARGES ON MEDICAL PROCEDURES

LARGE VARIATION IN FEES FOR SAME MEDICAL PROCEDURES OPERATIONS BEHIND STAGGERING MEDICAL COSTS. SHOULD THE CONSUMER “SHOP AROUND”

LABOR STRATEGY FOR KEEPING MEMBERSHIP TO STRESS ADVANTAGES OF BELONGING TO THE UNION.

PLANS FOR DEALING WITH THE SUPREME COURT ARBITRATION RULING IN HANDLING EMPLOYER-INDIVIDUAL SUITS.

EFFORTS TO PROTECT MEMBER IMMIGRANTS FROM  EFFECTS OF WASHINGTON POLICIES

APPRENTICESHIPS TO BOLSTER THE TRADE WORKERS’ SHORTAGE

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