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His Majesty, strutting about New York Presbyterian Hospital Grounds last year.
The New York Presbyterian Hospital Turkey Flock Strut About the grounds.
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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. Thanksgiving Portfolio, all photos by WPCNR: On this Thanksgiving, let us remember the band of hardy intrepid souls who crossed an ocean in a boat no bigger than a large Chris Craft and settled in an unforgiving landscape and started a country in the cold landscape of New England.
They were helped by Indians who welcomed them, without whom they would not have survived. A salute to this brave band.
They sailed into a bay, dropped anchor and just carved out a living after living in incredible conditions in a ship’s hold for weeks, crossing the storm-tossed North Atlantic. Here are some views of America’s first hometown captured by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.
Plymouth Rock Landing. Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The Mayflower II. Plymouth Harbor.
Indian Statue of Squanto welcoming the Pilgrim Settlers. Plymouth.
Governor William Bradford Statue on the Shores of Plymouth Harbor
“Plymouth Rock,” The landing place of the pilgrims. 
Settlers Home, left, circa 1690. 
Church, Plymouth late 1700s. .
The Jury: Old Burial Ground, Plymouth. Last resting place of the pilgrims overlooking Plymouth Harbor. The sacrifices, bravery and perseverence of these persons stand as examples to Americans today. How are we doin’?
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WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. November 25, 2015:
Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that New York State Senator THOMAS W. LIBOUS was sentenced to six months of house arrest for making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). LIBOUS was convicted on July 22, 2015, following a seven-day trial in White Plains federal court before the Hon. Vincent L. Briccetti, United States District Judge, who also imposed Tuesday’s sentence.
The evidence at trial proved that a federal grand jury in White Plains was investigating allegations that THOMAS LIBOUS had obtained a job for a his son Matthew Libous at a Westchester law firm (“the Law Firm”) in exchange for a promise to refer business to the firm, and had arranged for an Albany lobbying firm that regularly lobbied him to secretly pay the law firm $50,000 per year to defray the cost of Matthew Libous’s salary and lease of a Range Rover. The lobbying firm specialized in transportation issues and THOMAS LIBOUS served as the Chairman of the Senate’s Transportation Committee at the time. The evidence also showed that THOMAS LIBOUS told a partner of the Law Firm that the firm would have to “build a new wing” to accommodate the business he would refer to it if it hired the member of his family.
Special Agents of the FBI interviewed THOMAS LIBOUS on June 24, 2010, as part of the grand jury’s investigation. The evidence at trial showed THOMAS LIBOUS made the following false statements to the agents during the interview:
In imposing sentence, Judge Briccetti said LIBOUS’s conduct in lying to the FBI was “disgraceful” and took note of LIBOUS’s “total lack of remorse.” He called the monthly payments totaling $50,000 from the lobbying firm to the Law Firm the “elephant in the room” that LIBOUS had not explained. Judge Briccetti said that ordinarily he would have imposed a sentence of six months in prison but he declined to send LIBOUS to prison given his terminal medical condition.
In addition to the sentence of home confinement, LIBOUS, 62, of Binghamton, New York, was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $50,000.
Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the FBI.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin R. Allee and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.
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Guests filing in for this past Sunday Downtown Music at Grace Benefit featuring the world famous Highbridge Voices Chamber Choir from The Bronx, USA
Mary Clementi directs the Knightsbridge Choir Sunday in Grace Church
December Downtown Music Concert Schedule
Wednesday, December 2, 12:10PM
Cambiata Trio: Pamela Sklar, flute; Suzanne Mueller, cello;Mark McCarron, guitar. Cambiata performs classical, jazz standards, original music (by McCarron and Sklar) and arrangements of music by other composers ranging from Handel to Villa-Lobos to Ian Anderson. A Downtown Music debut. Free Admission
Wednesday, December 9, 12:10PM
Tableau Vivant: Karen Marie Marmer, violin & Dongsok Shin, harpsichord, principals of the celebrated baroque ensemble Rebel, with guests David Ross, baroque flute and Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba offer Telemann in Paris featuring works by Georg Philip Telemann and Michel Blavet. Free Admission
This concert is made possible with the generous support of Paul Bergins, Esq., White Plains, New York.
Wednesday, December 16, 12:10PM
Angelica, a women’s chamber choir directed by Marie Caruso, presents a program drawn from the vast treasury of medieval, renaissance and 20th century music celebrating the wonder and beauty of the Christmas season. Free Admission
This concert is made possible with the generous support of the Brian Wallach Agency,
White Plains, New York. Personal and Commercial Insurance since 1949.
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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. From the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York. November 25, 2015:
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that his office has reached an agreement with Planet Fitness Holdings LLC, and its subsidiaries, Pla-Fit Franchise, LLC, franchisor of Planet Fitness brand fitness facilities and Planet Fitness National Advertising Fund, LLC, (collectively “Planet Fitness”) requiring that they not offer “unlimited” tanning as part of premier Black Card level memberships and that they provide adequate training to employees who oversee indoor tanning services at Planet Fitness gym locations.
Planet Fitness also agreed not to make health-related claims to promote red lamp devices and to comply with all New York State tanning regulations. Planet Fitness paid $50,000 in costs and penalties.
“Under today’s agreement with Planet Fitness, the company will no longer offer unlimited tanning as part of its health club benefits and will not make any claims regarding the health or safety of indoor tanning,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “This agreement is part of a continuing effort to protect consumers from the documented skin cancer risks of indoor tanning. I am especially concerned with rising cancer rates associated with indoor tanning, particularly for young people, and businesses that offer indoor tanning should market their services truthfully.”
Indoor tanning increases the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer – which is responsible for 9,000 deaths in the United States each year. Indoor tanning also increases the risk of other skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. While usually not fatal, these cancers can cause noticeable disfigurement.
In addition to increasing the risk of skin cancer, UV exposure can also harm the immune system and cause premature skin aging. New York State tanning law currently prohibits tanning for children under 17 and requires parental consent for children between the ages of 17 and 18. Additionally, New York law requires that current tanning hazards information sheets and acknowledgement forms be distributed to tanning patrons and that free protective eyewear be made available to tanning patrons.
Investigators visited a number of Planet Fitness franchise locations that offer tanning services and found numerous violations of New York State tanning laws, including failure to provide required warnings and acknowledgment forms to consumers and failure to provide protective eyewear at no additional cost, a public health hazard. There are approximately 98 Planet Fitness locations currently operating in New York State, with some under corporate ownership and the majority owned by independent franchisees.
Some Planet Fitness locations offered LED or red light Beauty Angel treatments that were advertised as providing various health related benefits. However, these red lamp devices are approved by FDA only for cosmetic purposes. Planet Fitness and its franchised locations ceased promoting red lights for medical or health benefits upon notice by the Attorney General of its potentially false and misleading advertising of these services.
Planet Fitness also ceased the promotion of Black Card trial membership upgrades and Black Card memberships to include unlimited use of “free” and “unlimited” tanning services to members of legal tanning age during the course of this investigation. These promotions may imply that frequent indoor tanning is safe and may encourage more frequent indoor tanning
While Planet Fitness does not advertise or promote health-related benefits of indoor tanning, the investigation uncovered that Planet Fitness did not require or provide training of its employees in any Planet Fitness locations beyond the operation of UV devices and sanitizing procedures for tanning beds. Nor did Planet Fitness provide independent third-party training programs regarding safety precautions and procedures to employees of corporately owned locations.
Under the settlement, Planet Fitness will adopt written training procedures for employees of corporate locations that emphasize, among other requirements, the operation of tanning equipment in a manner adequate to protect consumers from potential overexposure and other hazards related to indoor tanning and making any representations about the safety of indoor tanning. Planet Fitness will emphasize to franchisees the importance of their compliance with these employee training procedures.
The action announced Tuesday is one of a number of steps taken by the Attorney General to help educate the public and raise awareness of the harms associated with indoor tanning. The Attorney General’s office has released a brochure on indoor tanning safety that provides important information on the risks and harms associated with UV tanning. In August 2013, the Attorney General submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration supporting a proposed agency order that would provide important protections for consumers and new warnings on UV radiation tanning beds and other sunlamp devices. A copy of the FDA letter is available here. The FDA’s final order became effective in September 2014, strengthening protections for consumers by requiring manufacturers to place additional performance and safety controls on sunlamp products, and to include contraindication statements and warnings.
In 2013, the Attorney General launched an investigation into suspected misleading advertising in the indoor tanning salon industry. The Attorney General reached settlements in March 2014 with HT Franchising Management LLC, the franchisor of the Hollywood Tans salons, and Hollywood Tans NYC, a Manhattan-based franchise of the national chain, requiring them to stop making health-related representations to promote tanning services. The Attorney General also has two lawsuits currently pending against Portofino Spas, LLC (“Portofino”) and Total Tan, Inc., alleging that both franchises engaged in false advertising by denying or minimizing scientific evidence linking tanning to an increased cancer risk; promoting indoor tanning as a safe way to reap the benefits of vitamin D and other purported health benefits; and asserting that indoor tanning is safer than tanning outdoors. In addition, Total Tan is accused of violating New York indoor tanning laws.
The Planet Fitness settlement was handled by Assistant Attorney General Ellen Fried and Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia, of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Karla G. Sanchez. The tanning salon investigations and litigation are being handled by the Consumer Frauds Bureau, the Health Care Bureau and the Environmental Protection Bureau. The Health Care Bureau is led by Lisa Landau and the Environmental Protection Bureau is led by Lemuel Srolovic. The Health Care and Environmental Protection Bureaus are in the Division of Social Justice led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Alvin Bragg.
Consumers with questions or concerns about health care matters may call the Attorney General’s Health Care Bureau Helpline at 1-800-428-9071. Consumers with complaints about other consumer matters can file a complaint online or call the Attorney General’s consumer helpline at 1-800-771-7755.
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The first hard frost gripped White Plains NY USA in its clutches overnight, frosting windshields and putting icing on lawns.
The Weather Station reading 32 degrees this morning at WPCNR World Headquarters told you that “It was great while it lasted (our mild autumn) but it was just one of those things.”
First fire of season warmed the hearth Wednesday evening as a sang froid of winter moved on in.
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Christopher C.Leggio
Christopher E. Leggio
Stephen Disalvo
WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. November 25, 2015:
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announced that Christopher C. Leggio (DOB 05/17/59) of 12 Quail Lane, Brewster, New York; Christopher E. Leggio (DOB 01/31/95) of 12 Quail Lane, Brewster, New York; Stephen DiSalvo (D.O.B. 12/13/56) of 1552 John Anderson Drive, Ormond Beach, Florida and the A.T.N.M. Corporation of 130 Woodside Avenue, Briarcliff Manor, New York were arraigned Tuesday on a Felony Complaint charging them with:
“As alleged in the Complaint, by altering the dump payment tickets, this scheme had real financial implications for both companies doing business in Westchester County and their customers, who ultimately paid higher prices because of the theft. Businesses have enough to deal with without the added costs and complications of the widespread and systematic fraud that was perpetrated by this company and these individuals solely for their personal gain,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.
“Illegal conduct in the carting industry can result in increased costs to businesses, consumers and taxpayers. It will not be tolerated in Westchester County,” County Executive Rob Astorino said. “The Solid Waste Commission and its law enforcement partners are working to ensure that all companies operate within the bounds of the law.”
A.T.N.M Corporation of Briarcliff Manor, New York is a company licensed to haul solid waste in Westchester County and other adjoining areas. A.T.N.M. is owned and operated by defendant Christopher C. Leggio, along with the assistance of co-defendants Christopher E. Leggio and Stephen DiSalvo.
Over a more than a two and a half year period, from January 1st 2013 to November 24th 2015 the defendants systematically and falsely altered several hundreds of dump tickets so as to fraudulently reflect a higher tonnage of solid waste being transported.
These false dump tickets were then submitted to a solid waste hauling broker who contracted with A.T.N.M. As a result of this scam, the broker paid several hundreds of thousands of dollars to the defendants for work never performed based on these false tonnage entries on the fraudulently altered dump tickets.
The broker negotiated garbage hauling contracts with several different commercial establishments including the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (hereinafter A&P). The broker unknowingly passed along these falsely inflated invoices to A&P and other commercial customers, who then paid the false invoices.
Larger customers like A&P used defendant A.T.N.M. to haul solid waste for twenty-seven (27) A&P stores, twenty-four (24) of which were in Westchester County.
Over $500,000 was overcharged and stolen by the defendants as a result of this scheme.
A six month investigation was carried out by investigators from The D.A.’s office, the Westchester County Police and the Westchester County Solid Waste Commission.
Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino praised the investigative work done by the Department of Public Safety, the District Attorney’s Office and the Solid Waste Commission under the leadership of its Executive Director, the Hon. Daniel Angiolillo. Astorino appointed Angiolillo, a retired state Supreme Court justice, to head the commission in 2014 and also directed the county police to assign a detective to the commission full-time.
This investigation is ongoing.
The defendants were arrested by the Westchester County Police Tuesday morning.
Bail for Christopher C. Leggio was set at $50,000 cash or $500,000 bond. The bail for Stephan DiSalvo was set at $50,000 cash or $500,000 bond. The bail for Christopher E. Leggio was set at $10,000 cash or bond.
The defendant’s next court date is November 25th, 2015 in Briarcliff Manor Village Court.
They face a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison.
Assistant District Attorneys Lauren Abinanti and Robert Mayes of the Investigations Division are prosecuting the case.
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1
SEE THE BOYS ON YOUTUBE AT
15TH YEAR AS WESTCHESTER’S NUMBER ONE WEEKLY NEWS PROGRAM
PETER KATZ, JOHN BAILEY
ON
WHY WESTCHESTER COUNTY RAN UP A $25 MILLION SALES TAX DOLLAR DEFICIT–
WHILE WHITE PLAINS IS POISED FOR BIG RETAIL GAINS.
ISLAMIC STATE WORRY.
THE LIBRARY SALUTES A LOCAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR — AND THEY GAVE HIM HIS START–RAISES $80,000 FOR THE HUB.
WESTCHESTER BROADWAY THEATRE SALUTES WORLD WAR II VETS
55 BANK STREET IS INTO THE GROUND.
ABANDONED, DETERIORATING SOUNDVIEW MANOR DECISION ON PRESERVATION PUT ON HOLD.
OR DOWNLOAD THE SHOW
AT
www.whiteplainsweek.com
or see it on
www.wpcommunitymedia.org
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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. November 20, 2015:
NEW YORK STATE RELEASED OCTOBER SALES TAX RECEIPTS FIGURES TODAY AND WHITE PLAINS HAD A SOLID OCTOBER– RECEIPTS INCREASING 7.1% ($284,780 MORE THAN OCTOBER 2014).
THROUGH FIRST 4 MONTHS OF THE WHITE PLAINS FISCAL YEAR, THE CITY IS UP 1% OVER JULY THROUGH OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. $16.7 MILLION TO 16.5 MILLION.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY IS DOWN .O4 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT AFTER COMPLETING 10 MONTHS OF ITS FISCAL YEAR, RECEIVING $412.1 MILLION IN SALES TAX RECEIPTS JANUARY THROUGH OCTOBER COMPARED TO $413,871,324 IN JANUARY THROUGH OCTOBER IN 2014
IF COUNTY COLLECTS THE $90 MILLION IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER THAT THEY EARNED LAST HOLIDAY SEASON THE COUNTY IS ON TARGET TO JUST ABOUT BREAK EVEN WITH WHAT THEY RECEIVED IN SALES TAX RECEIPTS IN 2014 ($503,802,272).
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WPCNR WESTCHESTER LAW JOURNAL. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. November 20, 2015:
Westchester won another victory involving the affordable housing settlement with the federal government when the U.S. Magistrate assigned to the case ruled today that the county had provided financing for enough units to meet its 2014 benchmark and that there was no basis for the county to be held in contempt.
For 2015, the county has already surpassed its 600-unit benchmark for financing with 635; and has 466 units with building permits, 59 short of the goal with 101 applications pending.
The latest ruling centers on 28 units of affordable housing being developed in New Castle under the name Chappaqua Station. The units are part of the 2009 affordable housing settlement reached between the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the administration of former County Executive Andrew Spano.
Under the terms of the agreement, the county must ensure the development of 750 units of affordable housing in 31 mostly white communities by the end of 2016.
The settlement also calls for the county to meet annual benchmarks. By the end of 2014, the county had to have 450 units with financing in place. In November of 2014, the Westchester County Board of Legislators approved financing for the Chappaqua Station project, putting the county over the benchmark by four units.
However, the federal monitor assigned to the case, James Johnson, who serves at the pleasure of HUD, and the Department of Justice claimed the units should not count because the financing was “subject to” the development receiving all the necessary approvals. Not counting the units would have left the county 24 units short.
However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein dismissed the federal government’s contention, saying the 28 units “should be counted.”
“The record is devoid of evidence that the inclusion of this [‘subject to’] provision makes the financing any less available for the Chappaqua Station development,” wrote Judge Gorenstein.
The magistrate also sided with the county on the contempt issue, saying the federal government had failed to meet the standard for showing such a charge was warranted. The county argued successfully that its behavior had to be measured against what the settlement actually says, not what the Monitor claimed it said in his report.
“We cannot conclude on the current record that the Settlement language was clear and unambiguous … such that the County could be held in contempt for not taking the additional actions stated in the Report.”
Astorino said the ruling was critically important for showing once again that the county has been complying with the terms of the settlement.
In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit gave Westchester a resounding victory when it declared that “there has been no finding, at any point, that Westchester actually engaged in housing discrimination.” That finding by the nation’s second highest court clearly repudiated the allegation that Westchester’s zoning laws are discriminatory and exclusionary.
“The federal government has tremendous power and can do tremendous damage to the reputations of people and institutions simply by throwing out charges like contempt even if they are later found to be baseless,” said Astorino. “The U.S. magistrate’s ruling corrects the false narrative by the federal government that Westchester County has done anything wrong with respect to implementing the housing settlement.”