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WHITE PLAINS WEEK THE NEW FRIDAY EDITION :ON THE STREETS OF HELSINKI; ON THE TICK TRAIL, TRUMP ANALYSIS. ON YOU TUBE AND WHITE PLAINS WEEK DOT COME NOW
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KEEPING WATCH ON THE RHINE
FOR 17 YEARS
THE FRIDAY JULY 20 EDITION
ON THE INTERNET NOW
the whiteplainsweek.com link is
COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH ON NEW MYSTERY TICK; HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM TICKS AND REMOVE A TICK.
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES OF THE STREETS OF HELSINKI OUTSIDE THE SUMMIT
PETER KATZ TRIES TO MAKE SENSE OF THE SUMMIT
VIDEO OF THE FIRST MAN STEPPING ON THE MOON 49 YEARS AGO
WHITE PLAINS ROVING CAMERA ON MAPLE AVENUE
RIDLEY PLAZA MEMORIAL
AND MORE
White Plains Ends 3 Years of Sales Tax Declines with 1.5% Gain in Sales Tax $$. County Rolling to Record Sales Tax Year After 6 Months. County Up 6.8% Over 2017 Pace
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WPCNR QUILL AND EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey based on reports of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
White Plains ended three years of decline in sales tax revenues with 1.5% gain in sales tax dollars in fiscal year 2017-18 concluded in June. The city topped $50 Million a figure it had not reached since the record sales tax receipts of $51.9 Million in 2013-14. The final dollars according to the Department of Taxation and Finance for WP was $50,076,677.
Westchester County continued to see consumers spending on a record pace. Through the first six months of 2018, Westchester County has earned $270,568 508, up 6.8% over the first six months of 2017 ($253,263,249).
This is a record pace for the county.
If this pace averages above 6% the rest of the year the $32 Million deficit in 2018, (defined by the county’s auditors recently) could conceivably covered by the sales tax windfall (so far). Cross your fingers, Mr. and Mrs. Westchester.
June was sweet in Westchester County’s money vaults, $57.5 Million in coin was dumped into the county coffers, compared to $52 Million last June, that is an increase of 10% in a month.
White Plains increased its sales tax receipts in June 8.1% to $4,653,104–up from $4,301,140.
Over the last six months, the city has increased its sales tax activity 3.5%–earning $832,038 more the first six months of 2018 than it did in January to June, 2017. For the first six months of 2018 the city earned $24,579,677, $1 Million less than the $$25,497,198 in July to December, the first part of this fiscal year.
Legislator Boykin Discusses Mail Theft–a Growing Westchester Problem and how to Prevent it
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
District Attorney Anthony Scarpino wants to inform Westchester County residents that in recent months, police in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Tarrytown, Harrison, Purchase, Bronxville, New Rochelle, North Castle and other communities have been investigating incidents where:
The victims
All of us who use the U.S. Mail are victims. In some cases, residents were accused of not paying their bills on time when checks were stolen. Some have reported being victims of identity theft. Others who sent money orders, which work like cash, lost the stolen money and still owed their recipient with no way to recoup the payment. If you think you have been the victim of mail theft report it to your local police department and your local post office. The outcome
Thieves take checks or financial documents with personal identifying information which can be used for identity theft and financial fraud. In some cases, checks are washed, meaning cleaned and erased of original information, and the Payable to or payable amount or both are changed. They are then cashed or fraudulently deposited in someone elses account. Several arrests have been made. Tips to protect yourself from mail theft
The Westchester County District Attorneys Office will continue to work with local law enforcement and postal inspectors to both protect our residents from this kind of criminal activity and aggressively prosecute those involved.
Please forward this e-news to family and friends who may be interested in this information.
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Comptroller and County Executive Urge Westchesterites to search new online service Make Sure They are Not Owed Money by the State. $300 Million is owed to Westchester Residents
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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. (Edited) July 20, 2018:
The Comptroller of New York State today announced a new online search tool, residents can access to see if they are owed money by New York State.
Residents can also follow this link to the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Funds look-up site, to see if unclaimed funds are owed to them.
County Executive George Latimer received a giant check from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, symbolizing money owed to Westchester County in unclaimed funds.
The unclaimed funds, nearly $300 million for County residents and $20,000 for County government, are from closed bank accounts, court funds, dividends utilities, insurance payments and other sources.
Latimer said: “Here in Westchester County, the County government itself did a search. We have a budget gap that we’re trying to close, and we found money. We are happy that we were successful, and we want all of you to be successful too.”
DiNapoli said: “It’s still a tough economy for many people in our state. So whatever money you can get back from this program, it’s found money. It helps you pay your bills. Maybe it lets you do something special that you wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”
Residents can also follow this link to the Comptroller’s Unclaimed Funds look-up site, to see if unclaimed funds are owed to them.
SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7 ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD: WHITE PLAINS AUTHOR RICHARD CIRULLI ON LIVING THE MORAL LIFE IN AN IMMORAL WORLD AT 7 ON VERIZON FIOS CH 45 COUNTALTICE CABLEVISION CH. 76 IN WHITE PLAINS
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JOHN BAILEY
INTERVIEWS
DR. RICHARD CIRULLI
OF WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA
SEE IT NOW ON THE INTERNET
YOUTUBE
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RETIRED PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY
EXPERT IN ESOTERIC AND EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHIES
AUTHOR OF
THE SONGS OF ROLAND
THE STORY OF A MODERN MAN HAUNTED BY THE PAPAL PERSECUTION OF HERETICS IN 13TH CENTURY FRANCE, DEDICATED TO HELPING HUMANS IN DISTRESS NO MATTER THE COST TO HIM.
HE DISCUSSES THE COST OF MORALITY, THE BENEFITS OF DOING THE RIGHT THING AGAINST TEMPTATION.
TAKING THE RATIONAL APPROACH TO BEHAVIOR AND THE PRESSURES ON REASON TODAY
HIS POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FOR COMMON COUNCIL AND WHAT IT TAUGHT HIM ABOUT POLITICS
AND MORE
ALSO VIEWABLE at 7 ON SATURDAY
www.wpcommunitymedia.org
Fire Island Beaches Reopened After 2 “Apparently Juvenile Shark” Attacks
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STATEMENT FROM DEC COMMISSIONER BASIL SEGGOS ON THE REOPENING OF FIRE ISLAND BEACHES FOLLOWING APPARENT SHARK ATTACK
“Following yesterday’s apparent juvenile shark attacks off Long Island, Governor Cuomo deployed State authorities to work with Suffolk County and local authorities to investigate the incidents. Investigators are currently analyzing a fragment of tooth to determine the specific species.
“State beaches will be reopened for swimming today with additional lifeguards monitoring the water and patrols continuing along the Fire Island shoreline. We urge swimmers to be vigilant and will continue to do everything we can to protect beachgoers.”
County Health Commissioner Warns of Long Horn Tick in Westchester County
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WPCNR HEALTH AWARENESS. From the Westchester County Department of Health. July 18, 2018:
The longhorned tick has arrived in Westchester County. The New York State Departments of Health and Agriculture & Markets confirmed the presence of this tick, whose scientific name is Haemaphysalis longicornis tick, in the County.
The tick is native to Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asian, but has been found recently in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas and now New York.
(Editor’s Note: the following from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture describes the tick in more detail:
The East Asian tick has been known to spread a deadly virus called SFTS, known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Symptoms of SFTS include fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, disease of the lymph nodes, and conjunctival congestion.
The latest discovery of tick was on the Watchung Reservation in Union County, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.(in April of this year). While the tick was collected at the site last May, its identification was not made until Monday.
According to reports, a farmer in Hunterdon County first found the tick while shearing a sheep. This sheep had never traveled internationally and rarely left Hunterdon County, according to Andrea Egizi, a specialist at the Monmouth County Tick-borne Disease Lab. The sheep later died from an unrelated cause.
“Steps were promptly taken to eradicate the tick from the index property and the animals in and around it. Tests on the exotic tick in November failed to reveal any tickborne diseases,” New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture said in a statement. “Local, state and federal animal health and wildlife officials, as well as Rutgers University — Center for Vector Biology are working together to eliminate this pest from the index premises and to contain its spread to the surrounding areas. Surveillance in wildlife and livestock species will continue throughout the year.”
This exotic tick species entered New Jersey. Experts are concerned how the East Asian tick entered the United States. Photo: New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture
According to the department’s website, like deer ticks, the nymphs of the Longhorned tick are very small and can easily go unnoticed on animals and people. The species is dark brown and grows to about the size of a pea when engorged on blood, according to reports. They are known to swarm and infest a variety of wildlife as well as humans, dogs, cats and livestock.
The department urged people to notify the state veterinarian if unusual ticks are detected in livestock animals.
While the longhorned tick has transmitted disease to humans in other parts of the world, more research is needed to determine whether this can happen in the United States.
Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, is once again advising Westchester residents to protect themselves, their farm animals and pets against ticks.
“It is always better to prevent tick bites whenever possible and to remove ticks as soon as possible, and the discovery of a new tick in our area gives us one more reason to be vigilant in performing tick checks on ourselves, our children and pets,” said Amler. “Farmers and livestock owners should consult with their veterinarians and continue to use the same preventive measures that work for other ticks.”
State Health Department research scientists collaborated with researchers at Fordham University and at the Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center of New York Medical College to identify these ticks. The identifications were confirmed by the Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
This tick is a concern for the agricultural industry because it may pose a threat to livestock. The State and County Health Departments advise farmers to work with their veterinarians to check their animals, particularly cattle, sheep and horses, for exposure to ticks and to ensure their parasite control plans are up to date and working.
Symptoms of tick-borne disease in cattle include fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, weakness and labored breathing.
If longhorned ticks are suspected, farmers should consult with their veterinarians and can contact the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry at 518-457-3502 or dai@agriculture.ny.govfor more information.
Tick prevention and removal tips are available atwww.westchestergov.com/health and include:
While hiking, working, or spending time in wooded areas:
- Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect against ticks other biting insects.
- Check for ticks often while outdoors and brush off any ticks before they attach.
- Perform a full body check multiple times during the day, as well as at the end of the day to ensure that no ticks are attached.
- Consider use of repellents containing DEET, picaridin or IR3535, following label instructions.
If you have been bitten by a tick of any kind, contact your health care provider immediately if you develop a rash or flu-like symptoms.
Height Bar System to be “Tested” on one entrance location on Hutch. County, Trucking Industry, Department of Transportation Steps to Prevent Trucks Entering Hutch, BRP
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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. July 17, 2018:
Bridge strikes were the topic at a meeting at County Executive George Latimer’s office last Friday
Latimer pulled together officials from Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, Rye Brook, Rye, along with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), state elected officials and the Trucking Association of New York .
After the meeting, Latimer said there isn’t going to be one solution, but rather many.
Among them:
1. Evaluate the location where the “head banger”system ( the trade term for a height bar hanging over an entrance to the parkway similar to the bars hanging in parking garages) could be tested
(Editor’s Note: There is an sidebar issue to the height bars brought by the Department of Transportation.
Catherine Cioffi, Director of Communications for Westchester County asked by WPCNR when the test would come, said she did not have a date yet when the test would be conducted.
Asked what it would cost to put Height Bars on all entrances to the Hutchinson River Parkway, she said the Department of Transportation did not have a cost on such a complete every entrance installation.
Cioffi said the Department of Transportation advised that there was a safety issue involved in installing height bars. Cioffi said the DOT said the height bar could become “airborne” creating a possibility of some kind of damage. Cioffi at this point did not have the details on how height bars could be modified if possible to be safer if hit by a truck hitting them,
2. NYSDOT agreed to do an immediate assessment of dramatic signage prior to the King Street Bridge on the Hutchinson River Parkway
3- Trucking Association of New York will work with County Executive’s Office to establish an education program for users of all parkways that would explain the County’s Parkway System
4- Outreach to mapping companies, like Google Maps and Waze, to update their software to add in warnings for trucks and other commercial vehicles
5- Westchester County Police to gather a breakdown of the statistics on the bridge strikes and the NYSDOT to also share the data they have collected. 6
6- Review of bridge strikes on the Bronx River Parkway
7- NYSDOT to alert local police in real time, along with County Police, of trucks entering parkway
Latimer said: “This is a problem and it is going to stop. We are going to make every effort we can to try to end this. This is a solvable problem. If government can’t solve this problem then government can’t do anything. And, I confidently believe that rational people working together can make a difference.”
Latimer said: “I am confident we can execute these strategies relatively quickly, and we will monitor the success we have.”
The next meeting is set for the fall.
Disease Symposium Wednesday Points How County Qualifications to Attract World Impact Research Firms to Westchester
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The Westchester Biotech Project (WBP), a not-for-profit organization that brings together a global network of scientists to foster scientific research and collaboration, will present its Rare Disease Symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18 at Iona College.
As part of the symposium, leading experts, scientists, and entrepreneurs will highlight current efforts to diagnose and treat some of the 350 million people affected around the world by 7,000 known rare diseases, of which 95 percent do not currently have a single FDA-approved drug treatment. So too will they address why Westchester is well positioned to become a global research hub for curing some of the world’s rarest diseases.
WBP, a borderless nonprofit organization, is connecting the region’s science brain trust with resources for international impact and is currently developing the Rare Disease Hub for international researchers.
Panalists: Dr. Antonio Molina-Pachon, the keynote speaker, will discuss why Westchester can compete globally in the field, along with his collaboration with the WBP and its international partners to develop a Rare Disease Research Hub. David Bettoun, Ph.D., vice president, Discovery and Preclinical Development, Chondrial Therapeutics, will discuss the company’s journey to develop treatments for Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare progressive disease that damages one’s nervous system. Scott Mellis, Ph.D., vice president, Rare Disease Early Clinical Science, Regeneron, will share what it was like to lead clinical development at Regeneron for a medication for an ultra-rare auto-inflammatory disease. Dr. Sergei Petukhov, DVM, partner, Enso Ventures, will provide unique insights into why some companies succeed while others fail and what investors look for in a company.
When: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Where: Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. Ryan Library.