THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

Governor: 91% of First Doses of Vaccines Innoculated. Hospitalizations UP. (Today residents of Yonkers and Mount Vernon in Zip Codes 10701, 10550, 10553, 10704, 10703, 10552 can Apply for Appointments for vaccinations at New Yonkers Armory Vaccination Center– 2 Quincy Street, Yonkers–apply by calling 1-833-967-4829.)

Posted on February 24, 2021 by John Bailey

WPCNR GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO CORONAVIRUS REPORT. February 24, 2021:

We know the vaccine is the weapon that will win the war against COVID, but there are three obstacles to getting every New Yorker vaccinated—supply, accessibility and hesitancy.

While the supply from the federal government is increasing steadily every week, demand still far outweighs supply.

It’s important that we keep up our fight against the virus even as vaccination distribution accelerates. The light at the end of the tunnel is brighter and brighter each day, but we’re not there yet. I encourage New Yorkers to remain vigilant until the war is won: Wear a mask, socially distance and wash your hands.

COVID hospitalizations rose to 5,977. Of the 157,333 tests reported yesterday, 6,654, or 4.23 percent, were positive. There were 1,176 patients in ICU yesterday, up 28 from the previous day. Of them, 799 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 86 New Yorkers to the virus.

(Editor’s Note: Through the 6 days ending Sunday, the Westchester had 2,961 persons test positive for covid, an infection rate of 4.2%. On George Washington’s Birthday Westchester added 391 new persons coming down with Covid an infection rate of 5%)

Urgent for YONKERS and MOUNT VERNON residents can apply for first vaccinations today that will be administered at the new Armory facility at 2 Quincy Street, but you cannot walk in to apply. Starting today, only eligible residents of Yonkers and Mount Vernon, cities with the hightest number of active cases in the county, living in zip codes 10701, 10550, 10553, 10704, 10703, 10552 may call the state at 1-833-967-4829 to schedule an appointment at the Yonkers Armory, 2 Quincy Street, Yonkers New York.

The first innoculations will begin there March 3.

You must call for an appointment you cannot not just go to the Armory for a shot appointment, or just show up for a shot.

Photo of the Day: Today, a mass vaccination site at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn opens to eligible New Yorkers of specific ZIP codes. Check your eligibility and schedule an appointment. (Photo by Kevin Coughlin)

Here’s what else you need to know this morning:

1. As of 11am Tuesday morning, 91 percent of first doses allocated to the state have been administered. This represents 2,252,945 first doses administered of the 2,477,825 first dose allocations received from the federal government. So far, 1,183,999 second doses have been administered out of the 1,390,250 second doses received.

See data by region and county on the State’s Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.

2. Medgar Evers College and York College vaccination centers open tomorrow by appointment. Both these sites, established in partnership with FEMA, will vaccinate 3,000 New Yorkers a day, seven days a week.

For the Medgar Evers College vaccination center, eligible New Yorkers who live in the following ZIP codes can book an appointment today: 11207, 11212, 11208, 11206, 11233, 11213, 11221, 11226, 11236, 11216, 11225, 11210, 11203, 11238. For the York College vaccination center, eligible residents in these ZIP codes can book today: 11436, 11434, 11433, 11419, 11413, 11412, 11422, 11429, 11420, 11411, 11418, 11435, 11428, 11423, 11432, 11427, 11439, 11691, 11692, 11693. On Saturday, scheduling opens to any eligible resident of Queens or Brooklyn. If you’re eligible, schedule your appointment HERE or by calling 1-833-967-4829. Starting tomorrow, you can also head over to either site in person to schedule an appointment if you are eligible.

4. To date, New York has conducted over 36 million tests. New York continues to lead in testing and in less than a week we’ve conducted one million tests. Getting tested for COVID regularly is a great way to ensure your health and the health of those around you. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID or believe you may have been exposed to the virus, get tested. Find a testing site near you. You can also call 1-888-364-3065 to make a free appointment at a New York State-run testing location.

5. Remember, mental health resources are available for New Yorkers who need them. As we continue through the winter we can’t underestimate the mental and emotional strain of the pandemic. New Yorkers can visit https://headspace.com/ny for free mindfulness resources or call our support hotline at 1-844-863-9314.

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: Transportation patrols can lead to unexpected surprises. This morning, NYS Department of Transportation maintenance supervisor Jim Williamson had an unexpected run-in with a small eastern screech-owl that collided with his windshield while he was on patrol in Schuyler County. Williamson tended to the small stunned bird until it was ready to fly on its own and then was safely released back into the wild. Great work by our DOT staff on this animal rescue.

If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here.

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

WP Library Suspends Grab & Go Pickup due to Covid-19 Infection Until March 8

Posted on February 24, 2021 by John Bailey

On February 23rd, we learned that a library staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. We are being as cautious as possible, and because of this, we are suspending our Grab & Go service until March 8th.

The Library is still available for telephone reference services, and all of our online programs will continue as scheduled. Our book drop will not be available until March 8th. There are no fines for late materials at this time.

Any questions about holds and hold pickups? Call the Library at (914) 422-1400.

Take care,

Brian Kenney
Library Director
[email protected]

AARP Tax-Aide Program
We’ve always been happy to host the AARP Tax-Aide at the Library. But tax aide this year–like so many things–will be different.

The White Plains AARP Tax-Aide program will not be able to offer the kind of in-person service taxpayers have become used to for so many years. The primary concerns remain the health and safety of taxpayers and preparers, and the protection of confidential taxpayer information.

Instead, AARP will operate a no-contact, electronic service, which involves the transmittal of instructions, forms, permissions, and scans of tax documents using email, and consultations between volunteers and tax payers via Google Meet, which is similar to Zoom.

Go here for all the information about how the program works, as well as contact information.

JOHN BAILEY’s Tuesday MORNING REPORT ON WVOX . TRANSCRIPT

Posted on February 23, 2021 by John Bailey

**JOHN BAILEY THE CITIZENETREPORTER**
*Appears Tuesday mornings at 7:50 AM on the Dennis Nardone and Tonny “Good Morning Westchester” program, on WVOX 1460 AM and www.wvox.com*

It’s a great day to buy a house in White Plains New York, Dennis . The housing market is still very hot continuing the last 6 months boom in real estate throughout the county.

That is what Crystsal Hawkins-Syska President of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors told me on White Plains Week this week. She sells real estate out of Keller-Williams in White Plains and told me White Plains is still very hot and we continue to be an annex to New York City

She says homes in White Plains are flying off the shelves.Right now 415 homes are for sale in White Plains and 468 White Plains homes have been sold in the last six months.

She remarks that if no more homes are put up for sale in White Plains it would take 5 months to sell all the homes for sale right now.

She told me 98 homes are being sold a month in White Plains, an average of 3 sales a day. Crystal remarks that Keller Williams has 100 plus listings now in their White Plains office.

That’s how hot White Plains is and it is a struggle to show all the homes for real estate agents because the owners want a limited amount of persons visiting their homes—Crystal says they are limited to 12 in a party plus the agent. She says she has not seen a market like this since 2004-2005 “when people would walk into the house and make an offer.”

She says prices are holding up and not selling far above their assessed value. She believes this is because the assessments were appraised on the high side when the city set them. This goes along with what the White Plains Assessor’s Office told me two weeks ago: the assessment roll coming out Monday will tell the tale

She says persons putting up homes for sale have to get their homes in good condition, because potential buyers will not negotiate needed repairs to lower the price if serious repairs are needed on the home. They will just walk away.

There is also big interest in multifamily homes as starter homes that couples can fix up, rent then use as collateral to buy another house.

Ms. Syska notes this is a new way for first time buyers to get in the market. She says financing is available through New York State to help out persons not having quite enough to qualify for a mortgage. The complete interview will be telecast 8 pm Thursday on fios ch. 45 and optimum in White Plains, ch 76. The short interview can be seen on White Plains Week (on this website.)

We had a coup in White Plains New York USA this week. The Democratic City Committee voted to nominate Richard Payne to run for Common Council, replacing incumbent councilman John Kirkpatrick. This resulted in a spirited floor fight.

Sources tell me Mr. Kirkpatrick is not going to primary Mr. Payne for the nomination. This failure to be renominated for another time is nothing new with the Democratic City Committee.

Bill King was denied the nomination back in 2001, paving the way for Tom Roach, the current Mayor to go on the Common Council. Glen Hockley and Arnold Bernstein were also denied the nomination. And in one of the most outrageous denials of all. Milagros Lecuona a Councilperson for 12 years, was never appointed Council President.

Mr. Payne is assured a seat on the Common Council because there is a lack of dynamic Republican candidates to challenge apparently. Can we see a show of hands?

Mayor Tom Roach tells us the data is continuing to show a decline in active COVID cases in White Plains. There are currently an estimated 372 active cases in our City, down 16 from our call last week. Over the past 7 days we have averaged 27 new cases per day. The number of COVID patients at White Plains Hospital has continued to decline. Patients are encouraged to come to the hospital if they are in need of care.

The CDC has provided additional guidance on the most effective masks and the most effective ways to make use of them to protect yourself and others. It’s been shown again and again that wearing a mask reduces the risk of infection. Research shows that wearing a kn95 mask or layering a cloth mask atop a surgical mask, can increase protection to the wearer and others. More information may be found on our website, Cityofwhiteplains.com

The federal government has been slowly increasing vaccine supply to New York State. They have increased the anticipated weekly supply by more than 20 percent over the next three weeks. However, even with these increases, the demand continues to far exceed the supply and as a result appointments remain difficult to secure.

Eligible residents should continue to check the State website, covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov or call the State Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) to check for new openings.

In the last 6 Days since I was on the air, the Westchester infection rate of positives from tests has been 4.2%. 2,961 new positive cases appeared. If they hospitalize at the rate of 5% we could see 148 hospitalizations within next 10 days. And due to snow cancellations, the state will call or e-mail you with new dates for scheduled vaccination.

The establishment of a Yonkers vaccination site could not have come at a better time and is long overdue. Because Yonkers and Mount Vernon have lead the county by far in new positive cases for months.

However it begs the question of why the tent structure at the County Center was not turned into a vaccination area instead of being dismantled. You could run vaccination buses right up to the tent in White Plains. It is great the state county or whomever finally discovered Yonkers and Mount Vernon were out of control in infections. However the infections down there are already there…the vaccines may be coming in way too late. Not good thinking, but now it is out of control.

I also think that it is not easy to get directly from Mount Vernon to Yonkers for the Yonkers vaccination site at the New York Armory. If they had kept the tent hospital facility at White Plains open, they could send “Vaccine Buses up Route 22 direct to White Plains to the tent increasing the ability to move persons up for the vaccine.

FEDERAL GOVT TO OPEN VACCINATION FACILITY FOR YONKERS AND MOUNT VERNON ZIP CODES 10705, WEDNESDAY. THE 2 HIGHEST INFECTION RATE CITIES TO RECEIVE VACCINATION PUSH. COMMUNITY AGE ELIGIBLE AND CATEGORY 1A and 1B SHOULD CALL FOR SCHEDULING FOR SHOTS WEDNESDAY

Posted on February 22, 2021 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER CORONAVIRUS REPORT, February 22, 2021:

Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced this afternoon the opening of a 1,000 shot-a-day Covid-19 FEMA-created Vaccination facility to be opened for administration of Covid vaccine shots to residents of Yonkers and Mount Vernon residents living in these zip codes only :

Eligible Zip Codes: 10705, 10701, 10550, 10553, 10704, 10703, 10552

The new FEMA location is at the New York National Guard Armory at 2 Quincy Place, Yonkers, NY

Appointments open 2/24 for the folks IN Mount Vernon and Yonkers ONLY in the specific zip codes and then on 3/3 for the rest of the County and this site will be for Westchester residents only.

· Appointments can be made at the Yonkers State-FEMA Vaccination Site on Wednesday, February 24 at 8 a.m, again for Yonkers and Mount Vernon eligible persons living in the above zip codes.

· For the first week of scheduling, appointments at this site are initially reserved specifically for New Yorkers currently eligible for vaccination living in areas with low vaccination rates.

· After one week, appointments at each site will then be made available to all eligible residents of Westchester County.

New FEMA-created Sites in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Yonkers will Open March 3 – Eligible New Yorkers Can Begin Making Appointments for Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Yonkers State-FEMA Vaccination Sites on Wednesday, February 24 at 8 a.m.

UPDATE: WPCNR has confirmed that according to County Legislator David Tubiolo actual first shots will start March 3 at the new facility, but scheduling for your shot in Yonkers and Mount Vernon will begin today February 24. A Yonkers correspondent of ours says the telephone line already has a long waitime and most citizens are calling not using the computer, which is much faster.

CALL THESE NUMBERS FOR QUESTIONS ON ELIGIBILITY AND SCHEDULING