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)
THE NY STATE WORKBOOK COVID-19 TRACKER REPORTED THIS AFTERNOON THAT WESTCHESTER COUNTY CONTINUED at a 5.9% DAILY POSITIVE TEST INFECTION RATE.
ON MONDAY 9,436 WESTCHESTER TESTS WERE CONDUCTED AND 560 TESTED POSITIVE (5.9%).
IN THE LAST 24 DAYS, NOVEMBER 21 THROUGH MONDAY DECEMBER 14, 13,018 WESTCHESTER-TESTED PERSONS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE.
AN AVERAGE OF 542 NEW CASES PER DAY.
THE AVERAGE INFECTION RATE IS 5.November 21 through December 14, 13,018 WESTCHESTER-TESTED PERSONS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, AN AVERAGE OF 542 NEW CASES, AN AVERAGE INFECTION RATE OF 5.47%
JOHN BAILEY’S TUESDAY MORNING COMMENTARY ON WVOX RADIO ON THE DENNIS NARDONE GOOD MORNING WESTCHESTER PROGRAM.
WPCNR NEWS TICKER.John
Bailey’s WHITE PLAINS REPORT &COMMENTARY
on WVOX RADIO 1460 this morning 7:50 AM every Tuesday on the Dennis Nardone
Good Morning Westchester program on WVOX Westchester’s Number One Rated Station. December 15, 2020:
White Plains revenues
in sales taxes and user fees are down 21% in the first five months Common Council
President Nadine Hunt-Robinson reported in last week’s meeting the first time
in years the council has reported publicly of its financial position.
Councilwoman Hunt-Robinson remarked the city has put a hiring freeze in place not replacing employees who leave. She pointed out the city staged the holiday market last week to help local merchants.
Mayor Tom Roach
reported the council of mayors received word that the state should be getting a
stimulus from Washington with distribution handled by the state based on
population of the cities and towns.
The city now is crossing its fingers as the November sales taxes report next week. They
may have to look very early about how to cut
city expenses.
White Plains faces a $44
million sales tax handle if we equal the 7 months total November through June.
In 2019-2020 the city got $50 million in sales taxes so the administration is
going to have to take a harder look, if the November, December figures sharply
decline.
I attended a zoom meeting of the Jacob Burns Film
Center Board of Directors last night. They
are readying a series of virtual online movies for members of the theater. The
theatre is ready with social distancing and reduced seating arrangements in
place and complete new air filtration system to pump in fresh air.
The Theatre said they are ready to go but because of the
state restrictions on theatres reopening based on each county infection rate of
the coronavirus spread, the theatre cannot open.
Directors said that no theatre can open in the county unless
the county has a 2% infection rate—which Westchester does not come close to.
HERE are the latest covid stats: Westchester
County through Sunday (with Monday cases reporting today at 3 PM), has a 5.45% infection rate over the last 23
days to November 21 the county has had 12,962 persons test positive in 22 days from November 21 through December 13 – that
is an average 562 new infections a day.
https://youtu.be/PmXyvHoGwdA
Mayor of Mount Vernon on how her city has enforced social distancing, masking, restaurants, businesses covid protocols at the County Covid briefing (9:47)
Yesterday Mayor Patterson-Howard of Mount Vernon speaking in County Executive George Latimer’s covid briefing told how Mount Vernon has kept off the yellow zone designation by vigorous education and community outreach and enforcement of restaurant rules and business rules through enforcement and fines. Mount Vernon has the lowest infection rate of the major cities. You can see her talk on the White Plains Week Youtube site above. Perhaps it’s time the county adopted rigorous enforcement.
The White Plains Holiday Market on Waller Avenue with 48
heated roofed booths last week through the weekend was successful according to
the merchants and local store owners in the booth. Those whom I spoke to said
the first wet weekend was slow but crowds were encouraging during the cold
weather last week. Saturday and Sunday crowds were out with 50 to 60 persons
sifting through on the Saturday and over a 100 early afternoon Sunday when I
attended.
Merchants told me they hoped the city will do the Holiday
Fair again next year In my opinion the Farmers’ Market the city runs all summer
should be moved to this location on Waller. It’s much easier to park on Waller
with a garage and the Restaurant Row lot to park in. Think about it.
WPCNR GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO CORONAVIRUS REPORT. DECEMBER 14, 2020:
Today, history was made when Sandra Lindsay, a frontline ICU nurse and New Yorker, became the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in a non-trial setting.
Sandra received the vaccination at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens. After her vaccination, I asked Sandra over Zoom how she felt and what she wanted to say to her fellow Americans. Her words speak for themselves:
“I am hopeful. I feel hope today—relieved. I feel like healing is coming and this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history. I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe.
We’re in a pandemic and so we all need to do our part to put an end to the pandemic, and to not give up so soon. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we still need to continue to wear our masks, to social distance. I believe in science. As a nurse, my practice is guided by science and so I trust that.
What I don’t trust is that, if I contract COVID, I don’t know how it would impact me or those who I come in contact with, so I encourage everyone to take the vaccine.” She’s absolutely right: Healing is coming. Thank you, Sandra.
Photo of the Day: Dr. Michelle Chester administers the first vaccine to Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse (Photo by Scott Heins for the Office of Governor M. Cuomo)
Here’s what else you need to know tonight:
1. Total COVID hospitalizations rose to 5,712. Of the 159,844 tests reported yesterday, 9,044, or 5.66 percent, were positive. There were 1,040 patients in ICU yesterday, up 31 from the previous day. Of them, 572 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 83 New Yorkers to the virus.
2. Hospitalizations could approximately double in one month if the current rate of growth continues. The fall and winter surge could lead to 11,000 people hospitalized with COVID and 3,500 additional fatalities in a month if the current rate continues. Please take this threat seriously. Yes, we have a vaccine—but we must be cautious and diligent in the days ahead to slow the spread as the vaccine distribution ramps up.
3. The Finger Lakes region, with 681 hospitalizations, has the highest rate of COVID hospitalization by population. Hospitalizations in the Finger Lakes represent 0.06 percent of the region’s population.
Western New York has 526 hospitalizations (0.04 percent of its population); Central New York has 340 hospitalizations (0.04 percent);
Mohawk Valley has 193 hospitalizations (0.04 percent); Long Island has 935 hospitalizations (0.03 percent);
Mid-Hudson has 705 hospitalizations (0.03 percent);
Capital Region has 269 hospitalizations (0.02 percent);
New York City has 1,857 hospitalizations (0.02 percent).
The North Country, with 53 hospitalizations (0.01 percent), has the lowest rate of hospitalizations due to COVID.
4. Today, New York announced updated micro-cluster focus zones. The Yellow Zone in Niagara County will be expanded. A new Yellow Zone will be added near Batavia, Genesse County, and another will be added near Rome and Utica, Oneida County—following these areas meeting the metrics for Yellow Zone designation. See all cluster zones and look up your address on our interactive map.
5. When you’re indoors with people outside of your household, remember to wear a mask. Contact tracing data shows that 74 percent of COVID cases where the cause is known can be traced to small gatherings and the household. The CDC is urging—as are we—that you wear a mask indoors whenever you are with people that you don’t live with, in both public and private settings.
Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: Adam Shrager, who teaches statistics at the College of New Jersey, received a moving surprise from his students on the last day of remote learning before final exams. When Shrager started the lesson, all of the students had their cameras off, which was unusual, but slowly the students turned their cameras on revealing an array of thank-you messages from the students. The display of gratitude from Shrager’s students soon went viral. If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here.
2021 OPERATING, CAPTIAL & SPECIAL DISTRICT BUDGETS PASSED
Operating Budge Reduces Tax Levy & Overall Spending; Preserves & Increases Human Services
WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGERFrom the County Board of Legislators. December 14, 2020:
On Monday, the Board of Legislators unanimously approved the 2021 operating budget for Westchester that reduces the County tax levy and lowers overall spending while preserving essential services. The Board also unanimously adopted 2021 County capital and special district budgets.
Board Chair Ben Boykin (D-White Plains, Scarsdale, Harrison) said,
Budget Committee Chair, Legislator Catherine Borgia, left and Benjamin Boykin of the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
“Building back from this once-in-a-century pandemic is going to be a multi-year process. COVID-19 left an economic crater in the budgets of every County across this nation. Those kinds of holes don’t get filled in a single budget. At the same time, people are hurting. Businesses are hurting. They are turning to us for help, and we cannot and will not fail them.
The 2021 operating is tough, with a reduction in county headcount through vacancies and last year’s voluntary separation package. But it puts in the forefront the human services that residents need. We’re providing millions of additional dollars for economic development, millions more for the social safety net, millions to deal with food insecurity and housing insecurity — programs the people of this County need to weather the storm of COVID-19 and strengthen our ability to rebuild as vaccines arrive in the new year.”
The $2.09 billion operating budget is $15.7 million lower than the 2020 budget. The budget reduces the county property tax levy by $1.0 million.
WPCNR Budget Note: The 2020 budget was described by County Executive George Latimer today as being a blueprint for 2020, but dependent on how much funds are cut by Governor Andrew Cuomo to balance the state deficit and depending on the passage of an aid-to-the-states package by congress in Washington. Mr. Latimer is expected to sign the budget Wednesday
The budget also balances the $80 Million shortfall in revenues experienced by the County in 2019 due to a wildly optimistic sales tax projection (a 27% increase which fell way short) diverting $80 Million in Federal Covid Aid into the County’s Fund Reserve and taking $80 million currently existing in that Fund Reserve to plug the deficit hole.
The adopted operating budget builds on the work the Board did last year, adding further support for community-based nonprofit organizations that provide cost-effective help to the County’s most vulnerable residents in dealing with hunger, domestic violence, eviction and educational support, among other areas.
In addition, during budget negotiations, the Board and County Executive Latimer reached an agreement to reduce the share of childcare costs paid by parents who are income-eligible for help from 25% to 23%. This was a top Board priority. Under the arrangement, the County will commit a portion of the childcare money it receives from the federal government to lowering the out-of-pocket cost of childcare programs to parents who qualify for the help.
On Monday, legislators also approved a capital budget for 2021 that takes advantage of historically low interest rates to invest millions in improving roads, bridges, parks, transportation, environmental facilities and recycling and sanitation programs. The County’s capital program supports 2,000 permanent jobs in Westchester.
