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 SCHOOL DAYS. Special to WPCNR from Carl Albanese.May 21,2011. UPDATED, May 22,2011.:

 U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand introduced her Urban Youth Employment Job Bill here Friday  in White Plains at a press conference held at Eastview Middle School in partnership with White Plains Youth Bureau. 

Senator Gillebrand (center) mingled with Eastview Middle School Students joined by White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, second from left, Eastview Principal, Joseph Cloherty, far right and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Jennifer O’Donovan,far left.

Senator Gillebrand introduces her bill to aid employment of youths during the summer with Westchester County, New York and White Plains brass. Left to right: Councilman David Buchwald, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (88th A.D.), County Board of Legislators Chair, Kenneth Jenkins, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, Assemblyman Robert Castelli(89th A.D.), State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, White Plains Youth Bureau Director Frank Williams, White Plains Councilperson, Milagros Lecuona, and White Plains Council President, Benjamin Boykin.

The news conference was hosted by White Plains Mayor Roach (at podium), attending White Plains Youth Bureau students, Eastview students, and many Westchester and White Plains elected officials. In attendance was former mayor Joseph Delfino who under his tenure expanded the Youth Bureau’s diversified programs, business employment partnership programs, and funding for the WPYB.

 

Senator Gillibrand stressed the importance of supporting our youth employment business partnership programs.  Providing job and career opportunities though out the state and was pleased that she could partnership with the White Plains Youth Bureau, invited by Mayor Roach Friday in White Plains for the introduction of the Youth Employment Job Bill. 

According to the Urban League news release, The Urban Jobs Act  (the League supports the bill), “would establish a feeder system for youth through the award of competitive grants to national non-profit organizations, in partnership with local affiliates, to provide a holistic approach for preparing youth ages 18 through 24 for entry into the job market, as well as for helping to reduce the disproportionate incarceration of minority youth in urban areas. This program would fill a major gap in the service needs of such youth.”

According to a news release from Ken Jenkins, Chair of the Board of County Legislators, “When a young person is invested in a job, it not only provides an opportunity to earn a little extra money, but it also raises the confidence and sense of accomplishment for that young person.  This contributes to smarter students, safer neighborhoods, and a highly skilled and prepared workforce for the future.

“This legislation helps young men and women from urban communities become a part of the economic mainstream; and, in the process, provide the business community with motivated job-ready workers. I want to thank Senator Gillibrand for her leadership and steadfast support on this issue and I look forward to working with her locally.”

 The White Plains Youth Bureau back in 2010 under the direction of Executive Director Frank Williams Jr. and Deputy Director, Linda Puoplo celebrated its 40^th Anniversary 1970 – 2010 providing our children and youth, ages 5-24 with effective constructive development programs through out White Plains. For the last 40 plus years the WPYB has been the safe haven for our youth development in after school connection (ASC) educational programs, leadership and counseling, summer tutorial camp, youth employment services, Project Hope, prevention services, reading, out reach programs, teen activities, performing arts and culture in White Plains.

 We are all proud of the community youth services and programs our city provides for the many children and teens provided through the White Plains Youth Bureau programs. We can only express our citizen’s appreciation that Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand is working for our youth, communities and keeping White Plains on her agenda for our children and families.

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WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators (Edited with background by WPCNR’s John Bailey) May 19,2011:

A proposed lease agreement for the Westchester Children’s Museum with the County for site control of the 22,000 square-foot Playland bathhouse space, a historic landmark, has moved through the Board’s Committee on Public Works, Parks Labor & Transportation, the Board of Legislators announced Thursday

The historic Bathhouse, located at Playland’s boardwalk, has been currently undergoing repair and renovation to its exterior for three years at a cost originally financed for $8.8 Million in May, 2008.

A vote to set the public hearing on the lease will be on the agenda during the next Board meeting on Monday, May 23^rd. 

The move to set a date on a hearing on the merits of giving the childrens museum group exclusive control of the interior of the bathouse is interesting. The childrens museum has just one of 11 proposals for a reinvention of Playland being considered by the county and a citizens’ group evaluating what should be done to “reinvent” Playland and turn it into a money-making operation. The Bathouse and Boardwalk and Ice Casino are an integral part of the complex.

According the County Board News Release Thursday: “At a time when budget cuts and the erosion of quality after-school youth programs are causing more people to seek out community-based alternative services within Westchester County, the Children’s Museum will be a vibrant, interactive cultural institution for children and families and a dynamic resource for schools,” said Board Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers).

The news release continued:

“Families throughout the region will find the Children’s Museum a highly worthwhile educational experience,” said Legislator Bill Ryan (D-White Plains), Chairman of the Board’s Committee on Public Works, Parks Labor & Transportation.    “This is a very positive step being taken by the Board. The Children’s Museum will be a quality addition to Playland Park.”

The bathhouse was set aside exclusively for the children’s museum, if the museum raises money to rebuild the interior and operate it.  So far, the children’s museum’s board has raised $8 million and is working towards raising a total of $14 million.  They have already spent $1.5 million on building designs. The Museum has, also, started educational programs with community groups. Chairman Jenkins added that the museum project would be a welcoming environment for special-needs children and a means to build tourism for the county.

 “The Children’s Museum represents a community-wide investment in our children without spending any taxpayer’s money,” said Legislator Judith Myers (D-Larchmont).  “Over 870,000 children under 11 years of age live within a 15-mile driving radius of our future site at Playland Park in Rye. Yet, Westchester has relatively few cultural resources designed specifically for children.  The Children’s Museum on the boardwalk would be a welcomed addition to the outdoor cafes, historic ‘Kiddyland’ for the very young, an Ice Casino for year-round skating, and a music tower for summer concerts.”

Voting for public hearing to lock-in childrens museum?

WPCNR notes apparently to the contrary, that the cost of renovating the exterior of the bathhouse is being paid for by $8.8 Million in county taxpayers’ dollars (approved in May 2008), and construction has been moving on at a slow pace  for  three years. The county appears to be subsidizing this project, while possibly compromising the appeal of the site to serious developers. The childrens museum by Jenkins statement, has not even raised its estimated operating expenses yet in three years.

WPCNR  notes that a proposal for a childrens’ museum was one of the many private proposals from developers submitted to the county in response to a Request for Proposals in February.

The county’s apparent urge to set a public hearing at this time on the childrens’ museum concept, and go for a lease agreement would seem to mean that no matter what proposal for the “new Playland” the Astorino administration and a citizens’ group reviewing the proposals decides upon — a developer/operator other than the children’s museum, for instance — that developer will have to incorporate the children’s museum into their plan.

Hotels, marinas, and other uses for example would be deprived of prime space on on that boardwalk by the children’s museum guaranteed occupancy.

To date, the children’s museum group has not to this reporter’s knowledge given detailed plans on what would be in the museum, or whether the Playland pool at the Bathhouse would continue to be operated.

 

 

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. May 19, 2011:

County Executive Robert P. Astorino today vetoed the redistricting plan for county legislative districts approved last week by the Board of Legislators.

 

“There are many reasons for my disapproval and veto of this local law,” said Astorino, “which vary from the flawed, closed-door, and rushed process to the unfortunate and unnecessary division of municipalities.”

He added, “The non-partisan League of Women Voters of Westchester in its statement at the public hearing was very clear in sharing some of these same concerns. It labeled the process ‘extremely messy’ with ‘aspects of it…questionable.’  The League also called for more transparency.”

 

Westchester Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins released the following statement today in response to County Executive Robert P. Astorino’s veto of the legislative re-districting plan approved by the Board last week:

“The re-districting plan approved by the Board of Legislators was the result of a careful and thoughtful process that included full bi-partisan participation, open deliberations and well-publicized opportunities for comments and objections from county residents.”

 

The redistricting plan was approved 12-5 along party lines by the Democratic-controlled board on May 9.

The county executive said the board’s rushed process called into question the ability of the public to have real input.

“Your Honorable Board held the first meeting (at least the first meeting known to the public and the administration) on April 18,” Astorino said in his veto message. “Within 20 days, your Honorable Board voted on this local law, which will affect the county for the next 10 years. Such quick action calls into question the ability for true public input. Note, too, that this 20-day period was in the midst of important religious holidays and spring break, further diluting the availability for full public participation.”

 

Astorino said there is no legal requirement for the board to adopt a redistricting plan this year based on Census 2010; rather, it could have deliberated longer and adopted a plan for the 2013 election cycle. Taking more time over this important issue would have given the board a chance to focus on the new Census data, which was only released in April.

Aside from the process, the county executive complained of what he called “wholesale and unnecessary changes”  made to some legislative districts, including the splitting of the City of Peekskill “for no rational reason” into two districts and the Town of Harrison into three.

“It will create confusion among voters and elected officials as to who speaks for these communities on the Board of Legislators,” he said.

 

Jenkins disagreed, saying in his written statement on the veto —

 

“In the end, the Board of Legislators adopted new district maps that are fair and hard to fault. The fact that the re-districting was completed extremely close to the existing lines, with necessary changes the result of population shifts, was clearly understood by most Westchester residents, since less than a handful voiced an opinion otherwise. As for the League of Women Voters’ request that the new district lines be drawn from scratch, it was generally acknowledged by the legislators as being too costly and time-consuming to do so.

“Because of his regrettable abhorrence for any achievements emanating from the Board, including our landmark 2.2% reduction in the tax levy this year, the County Executive’s veto of the re-districting plan does not surprise me or my colleagues. Our overriding his veto should not surprise him either. His decision should not get in the way of the important work that is in front of us.

“I want to recognize the hard work that the Board’s re-districting consultant, Dr. Andrew Beveridge, and Legislation Committee Chairman John Nonna contributed to this formidable task. These two individuals bent over backwards to accommodate all requests, inquiries and suggestions during the re-districting process. Chairman Nonna presided over open discussions about re-drawn district lines the minute new mapping first started, with legislators from both parties and two representatives from the League of Women Voters seated around the table reviewing changes district by district. He is to be commended in this regard.”

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. Statement from Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong. May 17, 2011:

Commissioner of Public Safety David Chong adds this information to the news of the arrests of three White Plains youths (all 17 years of age) Sunday morning in possession of stolen electronic devices that they admitted taking from unlocked cars.  Chong gave WPCNR this statement:

“The City and surrounding communities have experienced a rash of car break-in larcenies in the past few weeks.  Only two days ago Mount Pleasant Police reported approximately 40 cars had been broken into overnight. 

The White Plains Police Department quickly identified a pattern through our COMPSTAT process and through the good efforts of the command staff all the way down to the officers who carried out this decoy operation and put together a plan of apprehension. 

We shifted officers from both our Narcotics Unit and Neighborhood Conditions Unit and placed people and decoy vehicles through-out the city where these larcenies were being committed. 

This weekend, our efforts paid off as a group of teenagers spotted one of our decoy cars in the south end of the City and went to open its doors.  Undercover units stopped the youths and recovered numerous stolen items strewn around their car.  The youths made admissions to numerous break-ins and were subsequently charged.  The case is still active as we try to identify all the stolen property recovered and the victims.  Additional charges may also be added.

I must remind those who have criminal intent that our Police Decoy and Plainclothes operations are continuing through-out the City.  We are also working closely with our surrounding police jurisdictions.

I ask all residents to use good common security sense and protect your valuables by removing them from plain sight and locking and securing your cars and home doors and windows. These are opportunist thieves, if it isn’t locked down or out of plain sight they will take anything of value. 

High on their list is electronic equipment, car GPS devices, lap-top computer’s, electronics, I-pods and pocketbooks left in plain sight or unsecured in automobiles. Just because your car is in your driveway, you should still lock the doors and close the windows.

Don’t be an easy target, just take a few moments and secure your valuables away. 

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Hey Mom, bring me two waters so I’m set?

Where’s my under armor? And my visor?

Are my tights washed? My skates are dull.

Hey Mom, can you call the advisor?

 

Hey Mom,  I wasn’t yelling at you.

I didn’t mean to! You were yelling at me!

You never let me do anything my friends do

Hey Mom, would you chill, lighten up, just do!

 

Hey Mom, I don’t like the way this looks for the prom —

I don’t like the color, how could you think this was me?

I just can’t wear this, it’s this, it’s that it’s…Oh, Mom!?!

 

Hey Mom, I’ve been studying all morning getting knowledge.

Can’t I go out, I’ll be back by ten.

But, I know the material, gone over it again and again.

Oh, Mom – I hate my life! I can hardly wait until college.

 

Hey Mom – But I did call and let you know

Don’t you understand, I couldn’t call at that time.

No, you can’t not let me go – it’s a great band

Oh, Mom – I hate you! You never understand!

 

Hey, Mom, please don’t embarrass me at the game

By screaming so loud, it’s just so tacky

But, hey mom, I like that you’re over there in the stand

Watching me play, you know that don’t you Mom, you understand.

 

Hey Mom, can you get me to the rink

At 5 – I know you have to take off from work early?

Thanks, Mom, I’m so sorry but the team has a special thing

I have to be there, thanks Mom – I love you—dearly.

 

Hey, Mom, please when you pick me up at the dorm

Don’t come inside. Just wait outside, call me on the cell

I’ll be right down — it’s the norm.

Don’t ring the bell.

 

Hey, Mom, I’ve read the classifieds

There are no jobs, I can’t make all those calls.

Well, OK, I guess  I can send that resume you made for me (sigh).

OK, I’m lost, where’s the post office, down Lexington to what?

 

Hey Mom, well I’m bringing my friends by,

Don’t let Dad embarrass me with his jokes, OK?

I’ll just die if he’s silly again — you won’t let him do that?

You’ll talk to him about that?

 

All right, Mom I’ll take that extra course.

But I’ve just been going to school for months it never ends!

Can’t I have a little vacation, I don’t know what’s worse

Can’t I spend a little time with my friends?

 

Mom, I know where the interview is.

I’ll send that thank you note.

I’ve been doing this 4 years on my own! What do you think college is?

I know the subways. I’ll be careful, I know the route.

 

You do like him Mom?

Oh, I hoped you would.

Yes, I really do

I am so glad you do too!

 

Hey Mom, can you take care of the kids this weekend?

We’re going to Vermont with a friend.

And Mom, the cats get kibble in morning and meat at night,

We love you mom, sorry for the short notice, talk to you tonight.

 

Hey Mom, I’m sorry I can’t see you Mother’s Day.

Are you all right, what will you be doing today?

Going to the club – great – you know we love you in every way?

Though we may not show it you’re always with us

even when you’re away.