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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WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. July 2, 2014:

France’s largest bank—and the fourth largest financial institution in the world—has admitted to large-scale, systematic exploitation of the American financial system on behalf of countries facing U.S. economic sanctions (such as Sudan, Iran, and Cuba) and has agreed to pay record penalties of nearly $9 billion.

BNP Paribas (BNPP), a global financial institution headquartered in Paris, has admitted its role in violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act by processing billions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions.

“BNP Paribas went to elaborate lengths to conceal prohibited transactions, cover its tracks, and deceive U.S. authorities,” noted Attorney General Eric Holder during a press conference yesterday at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. “These actions represent a serious breach of U.S. law.”

According to documents released yesterday, from 2004 until 2012, BNPP illegally moved more than $8.8 billion through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned entities and used a variety of schemes to conceal the true nature of the transactions from U.S. regulators.

For example, BNPP routed illegal payments through third-party financial institutions to conceal the involvement of the sanctioned entities as well as BNPP’s role in the transactions. In addition, the bank instructed other financial institutions not to mention the names of sanctioned entities in payments sent through the U.S. and removed references to those entities from payment messages, thereby enabling the funds to pass through the U.S. financial system undetected.

“The significant financial penalties imposed on BNP Paribas send a powerful deterrent message to any company that places its profits ahead of its adherence to the law,” said FBI Director James Comey. “We will continue to work closely with our federal and state partners to ensure compliance with U.S. banking laws to promote integrity across financial institutions and to safeguard our national security.”

During the course of the more than four-year investigation, FBI agents from our New York Division and criminal investigators from the Internal Revenue Service reviewed scores of financial documents and e-mails to unravel the illicit activity and made numerous trips overseas to interview people with knowledge of the transactions.

The majority of illegal payments were made on behalf of sanctioned entities in Sudan, which was subject to U.S. embargo based on the Sudanese government’s role in facilitating terrorism and committing human rights abuses. BNPP processed approximately $6.4 billion through the U.S. on behalf of Sudanese sanctioned entities between 2006 and 2007, including approximately $4 billion on behalf of a financial institution owned by the government of Sudan, even as internal e-mails showed BNPP employees expressing concern about the bank’s role assisting the Sudanese government.

In March 2007, a senior compliance officer at BNPP wrote to other high-level BNPP employees reminding them that certain Sudanese banks BNPP was dealing with “play a pivotal part in the support of the Sudanese government which … has hosted Osama Bin Laden and refuses the United Nations intervention in Darfur.”

The case against BNPP “should send a strong message to any institution anywhere in the world that does business in the United States,” Attorney General Holder said. “Illegal conduct will simply not be tolerated.”

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WPCNR IT HAPPENED IN OLD WHITE PLAINS. An excerpt from the White Plains Historical Society publication, IT HAPPENED IN OLD WHITE PLAINS by Renoda Hoffman. Published with permission of the Society:

Editor’s Note: Former Councilman and Mayor Michael J. Keating who died Sunday, figured prominently in a tumultuous period in White Plains history. As White Plains historian, Renoda Hoffman recounts in the White Plains Historical Society book, It Happened in Old White Plains: Here is her account of Mr. Keating’s role in the events of the mid-1970s  that changed White Plains politics in her book:

Carl J. Delfino became the city’s eleventh mayor when he took office on New Year’s Day in 1974. Hospitalized for a Toer infection five days later, he suffered a stroke  on January 18^th and did not return to his home until March where he remained incommunicado.

Council President Harry Gordon, who had been acting Mayor, resigned on May 3^rd, reducing the Common Council to four members, two Republicans and two Democrats. This was followed by so much debating and in-fighting that no agreement on either an acting or interim mayor could be reached.

On May 22, 1974, a State Supreme Court justice ruled that Democrat Michael J. Keating should, as senior councilman, perform as acting Mayor. This settled only one problem.

A Special Election held in July put two more Democrats on the Counil. Mary Ann Keenan  and Wirth Koenig joined fellow Democrats Keating and Alfred Del Vecchio in opposition to Republicans Michael M. Coffey and William Rose, Jr.

On July 18^th, Mayor (Carl) Delfino’s resignation was submitted, but nine days before the resignation was to become effective, Delfino died, aged 53. His loss was a shock to the entire community.

On August  14^th ,1974, the Democratic Party nominated Keating as their candidate to run for mayor in November. But agreement on who should assume the duties of interim  mayor for the next five months could not be reached. Names were presented to  the council and rejected by tie vote.

To break the deadlock, the name of Richard Maass was presented to the council. Maass was a well-known Democrat respected by bnoth parties and well qualified, although he had never held elective office.

Unexpectedly, Councilman Rose switched his vote to break the tie and the city had its twelfth mayor. On August 20^th, 1974. Maass, a 56-year-old investment and real estate  broker, became the first Democrat to serve as mayor since Ffarrington Thompson’s term ended in 1921.

Four months of bitter political fighting was over.

In the November special election, 36-year-old  Michael Keating, an attorney, Philadelphia-born and resident of White Plains for 13 years, was elected mayor. On January 1^st, 1975, he was sworn in to complete Delfino’s unexpired term.

In the fall of 1975, (the Mayor’s term then being just two years an election was held  for the next two year Mayor), Councilman Alfred Del  Vecchio, 52-year-old  professional engineer, professor of mechanical engineering at Manhattan College, and Democrat-turned-Republican defeated Keating by a slim margin.

Two years later in 1977, Del Veccho became the city’s first four-year mayor upon passage of a local law amending the city charter. He was re-elected to four-year terms in 1981 and 1985.

Editor’s note: In 1993, with Mayor Del Vecchio seeking a sixth term , Mr. Keating  and Michael Coffey would challenge Mr. Del Vecchio in a Republican Primary in October. Mr. Coffey won and secured  the Republican nomination. against Democrat Sy Schulman. Mr. Del Vecchio was nominated to run on the Conservative line. In the three man race,  Mr. Del Vecchio and Mr. Coffey split the Republican vote and Mr. Schulman won ending Mr. Del Vecchio’s 18 years as Mayor of White Plains. Ms. Hoffman’s book and other exclusive publications and historical items  may be purchased at the White Plains Historical Society Gift shop, at http://www.whiteplainshistory.org/giftshop.html

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From the Office of the Governor. June 29, 2014:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a three-point plan to “bend the curve” and decrease new HIV infections to the point where the number of people living with HIV in New York State is reduced for the first time. The end of the AIDS epidemic in New York will occur when the total number of new HIV infections has fallen below the number of HIV-related deaths.

The “Bending the Curve” three-point program includes:

1. Identifying persons with HIV who remain undiagnosed and linking them to health care;
2. Linking and retaining persons diagnosed with HIV to health care and getting them on anti-HIV therapy to maximize HIV virus suppression so they remain healthy and prevent further transmission; and
3. Providing access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for high-risk persons to keep them HIV negative.

“Thirty years ago, New York was the epicenter of the AIDS crisis — today I am proud to announce that we are in a position to be the first state in the nation committed to ending this epidemic,” said Governor Cuomo. “New York State has reached an important milestone in controlling the AIDS epidemic, and through this comprehensive strategy, we are decreasing new HIV infections to the point where by 2020, the number of persons living with HIV in New York State will be reduced for the first time.”

The first report of AIDS occurred 33 years ago on Thursday, July 3, 1981, with some of the first AIDS cases occurring in New York. The momentum to bring the HIV/AIDS epidemic to a close already exists in New York State. New York has eliminated HIV transmission via blood products; virtually ended mother to child HIV transmission; and decreased new HIV diagnoses due to injection drug use by 96% since the mid-1990s.

While the nation as a whole has seen no decrease in the number of HIV diagnoses, over the last decade, New York State has achieved a 40 percent reduction in new HIV cases and significant decreases in HIV incidence across all categories of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and risk. Although the number of new HIV infections has been declining for a number of years, the total number of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS has continued to increase. This is because people with HIV can now live a normal life span and the number of HIV/AIDS deaths is also decreasing.

In 2014, there were 3,000 newly diagnosed HIV infections, down from 14,000 newly diagnosed AIDS cases in 1993. The goal is to reduce the number of new HIV infections to just 750 by 2020; about the same as the number of tuberculosis cases in New York State each year.

“Bending the Curve” will precipitate a dramatic downward trend in new HIV infections beyond the current trend. Though this effort will result in increased HIV medication expenses, it is well worth the investment given the human cost, and over time the initiative will pay for itself. Each averted HIV infection saves almost $400,000 in lifetime medical costs, and by 2020, “Bending the Curve” will save the State an additional $317 million and prevent more than 3,400 new cases of HIV.

This plan would not have been possible without the support of our legislative leaders, and several key policies in support of “Bending the Curve” have already been enacted this year in the budget, including:

• The removal of the requirement for written informed consent to get an HIV test, allowing HIV tests to be ordered through a verbal consent like any other medical test.
• Allowing data collected by the health department to be shared with health care providers to find persons with HIV who have fallen out of care.
• A 30% cap of the proportion of an HIV patient’s income that can be spent on rent, keeping persons with HIV stably housed, which improves their ability to stay on their medication.

Additionally, the New York State Department of Health Medicaid Program has successfully negotiated supplemental rebates with the three pharmaceutical companies representing 70% of the HIV market, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Gilead; this agreement will further decrease the costs to the state for ensuring all HIV-infected persons are on appropriate medications. Additional pharmaceutical companies may join the agreement.

Housing Works CEO Charles King said, “This step by Governor Cuomo, setting a clear goal to end the AIDS crisis in New York State, is absolutely courageous. In doing so, the Governor is reshaping the way we think about the AIDS epidemic and is setting a new standard for leaders of other jurisdictions in the United States and, indeed, around the world.”

New York City Human Resources Administration Chief Special Services Officer Dan Tietz said, “On this LGBT Pride Day, I greatly applaud Governor Cuomo for boldly leading in our three decade long fight to end the AIDS epidemic. We have the science and means to bring HIV infections below epidemic levels and with the Governor’s and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s smart leadership, we can end AIDS in New York by 2020. HRA is now implementing the 30% rent cap, agreed to by the Mayor and Governor in February, which is another part of this effort to save lives and money. Today’s game-changing action will push other leaders in the U.S. and beyond to take the necessary steps to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic for all.”

Harlem United CEO Steven C. Bussey said, “While we are heartened by the progress we have made in confronting the AIDS epidemic in New York State, we know that we still face an epidemic of crisis proportions for many communities. Governor Cuomo’s announcement to create a plan to end AIDS demonstrates the leadership and political will needed to end the epidemic as we know it in New York State.”

Treatment Action Group Executive Director Mark Harrington said, “The goal is ambitious, but grounded in reality. NYS has always been a leader and center of innovation in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We have seen an almost 40% decrease in new HIV diagnoses in the last decade, with fewer new infections each year, while nationally there has been no decline in the number of new HIV infections diagnosed each year. With continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the State’s successful Medicaid reform, we’ve gained the momentum necessary to put more people living with, and at risk for, HIV into primary care and the support services necessary to achieve success.”

Gay Men’s Health Crisis CEO Kelsey Louie said, “We applaud the Governor for his decisive leadership and commitment to end AIDS as an epidemic on this 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a rallying cry to fight back against social injustice. The plan to end AIDS can hopefully result in a dramatic decrease in new infections among MSMs and transgender women, especially within the low income communities of color, some of our hardest hit populations.”

Acting Executive Director of AIDS Community Research Initiative of America Benjamin Bashein said, “ACRIA applauds Governor Cuomo for his bold plan to end AIDS in New York State. We now have the knowledge and the means to dramatically reduce new infections and promote optimal health for those with HIV. Governors Cuomo’s leadership will make New York a model for ending AIDS across the country and around the globe.”

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators. June 27, 2014:

Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) Majority Leader Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining) released the following statement today in regard to the new assessment report  (released Thursday, see story below)  from the federally-appointed monitor James E. Johnson concerning the housing settlement between Westchester County and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

“I appreciate the diligent efforts of Mr. Johnson and his staff in preparing this thorough analysis of the County’s progress in completing the terms of the housing settlement. By working collaboratively with the monitor and our local municipalities, we are moving forward in making sure the County successfully completes the housing agreement.

“I am grateful for the local officials and leaders for working with the County to clear the logjam around the final steps of the housing settlement. Let there be no doubts that by working collaboratively, we can complete the terms of the settlement and continue to provide housing for our seniors, veterans, young professionals and hard-working families in Westchester.

“The monitor’s report notes that the County needs to do a better job in promoting and educating our residents and local officials about affordable housing, and I could not agree more. County residents are not served by political posturing and reckless misinformation about the settlement. We must work together to create a positive vision for the county’s future that will benefit all Westchester communities.”

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Saxon Woods Pool in the Sun Thursday afternoon