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DPW At Your Service – Report an Issue

You can now report issues on public property such as pot holes, sidewalk defects, flooding, street light issues, dead animals in the road, etc., by one of three ways:

• Use the DPW At Your Service Report an Issue link
• Use the Report an Issue function on your White Plains DPW At Your Service APP, or you may call 914-422-1202

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Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after 15 county sheriffs filed a lawsuit challenging the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act’s ban on 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):

“As we have said from the start, the ‘Local Cops, Local Crimes Act’ keeps New Yorkers safe by ensuring public safety resources go toward combating crime in our communities, not carrying out the work of ICE. The federal government claims they are going after the ‘worst of the worst,’ but every American has seen the reality: ICE is terrorizing communities and families with indiscriminate raids, detaining people without regard for criminal record, and using local law enforcement to deliver on the administration’s mass deportation agenda.

“Many of the 12 entities with these agreements have complied without incident, and the vast majority of New York’s law enforcement agencies were already successfully protecting their communities without any collaboration with ICE. The claim that these sheriffs cannot do the same says more about them than it does about the law.

“This lawsuit is nothing but a frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars. The courts have already declined to block this law once, and we are confident they will do so again. In the meantime, we expect all law enforcement agencies in New York to uphold state law.”

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GILLIBRAND, SASC DEMOCRATS CALL ON CHAIRMAN WICKER TO HOLD A HEARING ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S WORSENING STRAIN ON TROOPS

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined her fellow SASC Democratic colleagues in urging Committee Chairman Wicker to hold a hearing to investigate the Trump administration’s failure to support our service members who are carrying out indefinite extended deployments in the illegal, disastrous Iran war. 

In a letter to Chairman Wicker, the senators laid out how this administration’s failure to end this war has taken a widespread physical, emotional and mental toll on troops deployed to the region, even beyond the disturbing conditions reported aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln—with dwindling supplies and deteriorating conditions aboard numerous ships and across bases in the region. The American people and military families deserve answers from the Trump administration about how they intend to break this cycle that is crushing morale, stranding our troops in grim conditions and leaving military families unsure how to make ends meet while their loved ones in uniform serve longer extended deployments with no end in sight.

“There must be accountability for the worsening strain endured by our service members serving in a reckless war started with no justification, no clear objective, and no exit strategy,” said Senator Gillibrand.

“As our families pay sky-high prices back at home, our service members and their families are making immense sacrifices, and this administration owes them better than open disrespect.

That this administration can enrich itself and spend endless taxpayer dollars on unlimited bombs and interior decorating, but cannot provide our service members with sufficient food and medication, is completely unacceptable. I demand hearings, accountability, and a clear plan to provide our troops with the resources and respect they deserve.”

Not only is President Trump’s disastrous, indefinite and illegal war hurting morale and readiness, but SASC Democrats also raised serious concerns that these ongoing incidents could have direct consequences on our nation’s ability to recruit and retain members of our military.

They wrote, “Military families and the American people deserve answers about when our heroes will come home and how DoD plans to restore military readiness that has been drained by this war. Supply shortages and unjustified extended deployments also have a real impact on our ability to recruit and retain our servicemembers – why would anyone sign up to fight when they fear they will be exploited and left without supplies, recourse or support? Not only do we owe our troops the bare minimum respect and support they deserve, but it is a recruitment and retention imperative.”

“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” the senators continued. “The longer this Administration fails to articulate a plan to end this disastrous war, the longer our brave servicemembers will pay the price.”

Senator Gillibrand continues to demand accountability for the Trump administration’s treatment of service members in Iran and their families at home.

Earlier this month, following reports of deteriorating conditions for sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, she called for hearings and a plan to protect American service members in the region.

She joined SASC Democrats in July to press Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over inconsistencies in the Pentagon’s public casualty reporting, demanding a full and accurate accounting of the human cost of the war.

She also launched an investigation into reports that Secretary Hegseth failed to take basic steps to protect troops in the Middle East, including ahead of a strike that killed six service members and injured dozens in Kuwait.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Chairman Wicker:

We request that you convene a public Armed Services Committee hearing with Department of Defense (DoD) leadership regarding the poor planning and mismanagement of extended deployments to support Iran operations and the impact on our troops. Recent reports of sailors suffering from severe mental health issues amid deteriorating conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln have only added to a disturbing pattern of failures to adequately plan and support our troops, who have been away from their families indefinitely as the Iran War drags on.

On August 11, Military Times reported that multiple sailors on board the USS Abraham Lincoln currently supporting Iran operations attempted to jump overboard, a heartbreaking decision in effort to escape the mental health toll of an extended deployment that was planned to end in May but is now at 9 months and counting. Horrifying messages from military families described other poor conditions onboard the Lincoln, including food rationing, rotten meals, shortages of supplies like water and soap, overflowing toilets, broken facilities and disrupted mail delivery. It took nine months for the Navy to relieve the Lincoln with the USS George Washington, after conditions had reached such severity that military families directly confronted the Acting Secretary of the Navy. This has revealed the real impact of unplanned deployment extensions on our ability to maintain and logistically support our ships in a contested environment.

This is not the first time during this war that we have seen the consequences of extended deployments onboard an aircraft carrier or even other ships. Sailors on the USS Ford experienced hundreds of broken toilets and significant damage from a non-combat fire that injured multiple sailors and affected 100 sleeping berths and forced it to redirect to Greece for emergency repair. After this emergency repair, the Ford was again sent back to the Red Sea to support Iran operations – eventually completing 11 months of deployment, even though the Navy tries to limit deployments to seven months. Military families of servicemembers on board the multiple ships as part of the Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) in the region have reported emotional and financial strain from the unplanned extensions, struggling to balance work and childcare and caught in limbo with disrupted plans every time orders are extended.

Both the Lincoln and the Ford Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) were redirected from their original missions to support President Trump’s illegal wars of choice. The Lincoln originally deployed in November to conduct routine patrols in the Indo-Pacific, but was redirected to the Middle East in January to support the start of the Iran operations. The Ford ultimately served a whopping 11 months at sea – redirected three times from an original mission to support deterrence in Europe, to operations in the Caribbean Sea and against Venezuela, to Iran operations. This Administration has failed to explain why it has insisted on stretching our sailors in this way without adequate planning – let alone for unauthorized wars of choice.

The strain on our troops is not confined to the Navy. In fact, our offices and press have heard story after story of Soldiers and Airmen, including National Guardsmen and Reservists, seeing their deployments extended with uncertainty about when they will be relieved by other units and can return home to their families. Bases in the Middle East originally designed to support a specific footprint have been stretched to support a much larger scale of units now stationed there – and conditions are deteriorating as too many people meet too little space and supplies.   

The toll this illegal, disastrous war is taking on our troops is unconscionable. Troops are suffering because of this Administration’s inability to end this war or make the environment safe enough for our servicemembers to be delivered the food, medication or supplies they need.

All these developments strongly indicate a systemic failure of planning and adaptation by the Secretary of Defense and senior DoD leaders. It is appalling that in month seven of the Iran War, DoD still continues to fail to anticipate and plan for the second-order consequences of the President’s choices to continue this war with no end.

Military families and the American people deserve answers about when our heroes will come home and how DoD plans to restore military readiness that has been drained by this war. Supply shortages and unjustified extended deployments also have a real impact on our ability to recruit and retain our servicemembers – why would anyone sign up to fight when they fear they will be exploited and left without supplies, recourse or support? Not only do we owe our troops the bare minimum respect and support they deserve, but it is a recruitment and retention imperative.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. The longer this Administration fails to articulate a plan to end this disastrous war, the longer our brave servicemembers will pay the price.

We request a public hearing to help Congress and the public better understand how we got here and how the Department will ensure it never happens again. We call on the Department to explain to Congress, military families and the American people how it assesses and justifies the readiness impacts of these extended deployments, how it plans for relief rotations and what accounts for the systemic failures to provide troops with the support they need to do the mission the President has illegally asked of them. Importantly, the Department must justify and detail exactly how it plans to sustain our troops in this war indefinitely — as the President’s negotiations continue to fail.

As Members of this Committee, we take seriously our responsibility to make sure the U.S. military is properly led, well-resourced, supported and able to conduct its missions. We believe it is critical that we conduct public oversight to ensure that whenever we ask the military to answer the Nation’s call, we will have their backs – not leave them stranded with no support. For these reasons, we urge the Committee to convene a hearing at the earliest opportunity to examine these issues directly with DoD leaders.

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WESTCHESTER COUNTY SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT TO HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF SENIOR TRANSPORTATION

County Survey Will Help Identify Transportation Needs of Older Adults

(White Plains, NY) – Westchester County is inviting older adults, caregivers and residents to participate in the Improving Transportation for the Aging Population survey, now open through Monday, Oct. 5. The survey is designed to better understand the transportation needs of older adults across Westchester County, and gather feedback that will help shape future recommendations to improve mobility and independence.

The County is seeking input from residents regardless of how they travel – whether they drive, use public transit, rely on paratransit services, receive rides from family or friends, walk or use other transportation options.

Survey participants are encouraged to share their experiences traveling to their medical appointments, going shopping, attending social activities, and other essential destinations. All these experiences will be essential to identifying ways to improve transportation services for older adults.

The survey is part of Westchester County’s ongoing efforts to evaluate and improve transportation services for the County’s aging population. Feedback collected will help inform recommendations aimed at making it easier for older adults to access health care, shopping, social activities and other important destinations while maintaining their independence.

Residents are encouraged to complete the survey by Monday, Oct. 5 by visiting: planning.westchestercountyny.gov/transportation-planning/overview

Questions about the survey may be directed to Jonathan Joseph, Associate Transportation Planner, at jajp@westchestercountyny.gov.

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SCRIPT REPRINTED  FROM THE WHITE PLAINS WEEK INTERNETCAST OF AUGUST 21:

WELL YOU KNOW I WAS ACTUALLY SHOCKED SHOCKED WHEN THE CITY POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE OPTIMUM SERVICE WAS OUT.  I HAD BEEN VIEWING STREAMING PROGRAM ON SUNDAY AND VISITING THE CITY WEBSITE ON SUNDAY, TOO.

NO REASON WAS GIVEN FOR THE OUTAGE.

THERE WAS JUST A LINK TO THE CITY CHANNEL THAT SHOWED THE CITY WEBSITE IF YOU WANTED TO SEE WHITE PLAINS CABLE PROGRAMS

THE RELEASE SAID THE CABLE STATION STAFF AND OPTIMUM WERE TRYING TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM.

WITH SERVICE BEING OUT, WE WERE NOT EVEN TOLD VERIZON SERVICE WAS RUNNING.

WHEN THE CITY ON WEDNESDAY CONFIRMED SERVICE WAS RESTORED. IT SAID THE IT WAS A WIRE PROBLEM IN A PUBLIC BUILDING.

THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH THE OPTIMUMS AND VERIZONS OF OUR BRAVE, NEW, CONNECTED WORLD.

CAN THEIR NETWORKS BE STOPPED COLD BY JUST CUTTING A WIRE? REALLY?

MANY SUCH “WIRES” ARE ON TELEPHONE POLLS EASY TARGETS.

CAN THEY BE INADVERTENLY OR ON PURPOS ,SABOTAGED IN A CONNECT-IT-YOURSELF OR DISCONNECT EFFORT TO WIRE UP TO A SERVICE?

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ONE LOOSE WIRE CAN PUT OUT EVERY OPTIMUM SUBSCRIBER IN THE CITY? HOW MANY? THE CITY SHOULD WANT TO KNOW THE EXACT NUMBERS AND WHY

THOUGH THERE WERE SOME WHO HAD SERVICE AND SOME DID NOT. A LOT MORE DID NOT HAVE SERVICE THAN DID.

Why should other utilities like Con Ed have to rely on we the customer to tell them we are out of power? CON ED has a map of outages. They sanctimoniously put IT up when there are widespread power outages.

This Optimum “out” is no minor incident. It is a wakeup call.

My telephone service with Optimum was out three weeks. I went through call after call to Optimum automated service line, where I was consistently asked to reboot the system which did not work. The problem was I could not get connected to the line.

After calling 855 line I finally got a person to talk to. They sent a technician over right away but he could not fix the problem, diagnosing that the wire was down to the  house and that another company had to reconnect the wire.

So they arranged for another tech to arrive.

He came last Saturday. He surmised the problem that my line to one phone that was working had be to be connected to the modem (internet was working). He rigged my vitech unit into the modem and voila’ – the phone was back in business.

Despite Optimum being highly responsive and cooperative in working to locate where  the short circuit in the network was, they need to look INTO why this happened and make sure it never happens again or  this cannot be done intentionally by communications  terrorists for lack of a better term.

News judgment has to be made to inform people more explicitly on the front page of the city  website  or by email from the police or using the phone emergency alert system used for years to notify us of garbage collections.

Had I not gone to the website to look at video I would not have known Optimum was out.

I had electric trains when I was a kid. When a train jumped the track, the layout would be short-circuited and other engines running would stop.

If our communications hookups  are as vulnerable as electric train sets are to be knocked out by building maintenance fiddling with connections without knowledge of what they are doing that is a problem. Or perhaps by rats who love the taste of wire were the problem.

Details of the outage should be explored on steps to avoid “short-circuits” no matter how technical a staffer thinks they are, have to be secured.

Washington should stop worrying about ridding the country of people they do not like and pay attention to the networks that connect the country and how vulnerable the networks are to interference. You would think.

 

Dr Marisa DONNELLEY ‘s newsletter on White Plains Week last week, warned of the rise in smoking among young people.

Dr. Donnelley  wrote tobacco and vaping  are associated with an increased disease rate in loss of  the bone and gums that are holding your teeth IN PLACE. PLUS THERE OCCURS AN INCREASE IN  SPACE BETWEEN GUMS AND TEETH.

I SAID IN MY PERSPECTIVE LAST WEEK THAT YOUNG PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO VAPE AS WELL AS THOSE WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

YOU ARE POSING SERIOUS RISK TO YOUR TEETH. IF YOU CONTINUE TO SMOKE CHEW  OR VAPE YOU ARE LOOKING AT MISERY AT THE DENTIST AS YOU AGE UP

WAIT THERE IS A REASON I BRING THIS UP –

THE PRESIDENT IS ABOUT TO APPOINT DR. HEIDI OVERTON HEAD OF THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ACCORDING TO A NEW YORK TIMES STORY BY CHRISTINA JEWETT.

MR. TRUMP HAS URGED APPROVAL OF FLAVORED VAPES. MOST RECENTLY,   AFTER THE PREVIOUS FDA HEAD,  DR. MARTY MAKARY LEFT BECAUSE HE WAS NOT IN FAVOR  OF “ALLOWING MAJOR TOBACCO AND VAPE COMPANIES TO SELL FLAVORED E-CIGARETTES.”

A WEEK AFTER THE PRESIDENT LUNCHED WITH TOBACCO AND EXECUTIVES, THE FDA APPROVED MANGO AND BLUEBERRY VAPES.

I RECALL WHEN I INTERVIEWED THE FIRST VAPE SHOP OWNER IN WHITE PLAINS ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD 5 YEARS AGO.

HE TOLD VAPES WERE INTENDED TO HELP SMOKERS CUT DOWN ON THEIR DEPENDENCE ON THE NICOTINE OF CIGARETTES.

HE TOLD ME THEY HELPED HIM QUIT SMOKIMG  BY GRADUALLY GIVING HIM LOWER AND LOWER DOSES OF NICOTINE DOWN TO ZERO IN VAPE FORM.

THE PRESIDENT SUPPORTS THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY AND THE RECREATIONAL USE OF VAPES.

I AM SHOCKED SHOCKED THAT THE LEADERSHIP OF NEW YORK STATE IS ACTIVELY INADVERTENTLY PROMOTING CANNABIS DISORDER (IN VIEW OF THE DAMAGE SMOKING HAS DONE THE LAST 200 YEARS  THIS IS DEPRESSSING. AND CAUSING HARD-TO-QUIT ADDICTION, PERSONALITY AND PERFORMANCE  DETERIORATION)

THE STATE NEEDS TO LOOK AT A SURVEY REPORTED BY THE TIMES THIS WEEK AND TIGHTEN UP ITS CANNIBIS POLICY IN VIEW OF THE PRESENT STATE OF GROWING CANNIBIS DISORDER IN USERS OF LEGAL MARIJUANA. (I assume it is legal purchases)

SPEAKING OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES  AND THE “WHO KNEW DEPARTMENT” THE TIMES  reporter RONI CARIN RABIN REPORTED

“A GROWING NUMBER OF AMERICANS  SAY THEIR CANNIBIS USE IS “PROBLEMATIC,” ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY RELEASED WEDNESDAY. { My personal observation: APPARENTLY THE MOVIE REEFER MADNESS (1930S) WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG)

YOU CAN GET ADDICTED TO MARIUANA. THE REASON: HIGHER CONTENT OF THE DRUG TETRAHYDRO CANNABINOL

TETRAHYDRO CANNABINOL IS THE PYSCHOACTIVE COMPOUND IN CANNABIS .

MANY VARIETIES OF  CANABIS PRODUCTS TODAY HAVE HIGHER AMOUNTS OF  TETRAHYDRO CANNABINOL  WHICH MAKES THEM MORE ADDICTIVE. THE STUDY APPEARED IN JAMA PYSCHIATRY . 

CANNIBIS USE DISORDER IS DEFINED AS

EITHER BEING UNABLE TO QUIT OR CUT BACK AND CONTINUING TO USE IT  —

EVEN THOUGH IT LEADS TO INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS.

THANKS TO LEGALIZED CANNIBIS IN WHITE PLAINS  AND ELSEWHERE WE NOW HAVE THIS STATE-SANCTIONED REVENUE SOURCE MADE TOTALLY LEGAL. DOLLARS ARE  THE REASON CANNIBIS WAS LEGALIZED BY THE STATE.

WE HAVE ANOTHER VICE PROMOTED FOR ITS REVENUE PRODUCING BENEFIT TO THE STATE.

WE PROMOTE VAPING IT WITH A FURTHER RISK OF WRECKING TEETH AND CREATING HUGE PROFITS FOR THE TOBACCO AND VAPE COMPANIES.

HERE IS WHAT THE STUDY OF CANNIBIS USE DISCOVERED:

9%  OF MEN  UP FROM 7% IN 2021 OF MEN USING CANNIBIS HAD THE DISORDER

WOMEN USING THE DRUG IN 2024 21% SAID  THEY USED CANNIBIS COMPARED TO 18% IN 2021

30% OF THE SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SYMPTOMS OF CANNABIS DISORDER.

PERHAPS THE STATE SHOULD PUT WARNING LABELS ON CANNIBIS PRODUCTS:

WARNING:SMOKING CANNIBIS CAN LEAD TO ADDICTION YOU CANNOT STOP OR QUIT AND DETERIORATE YOUR ABILITY TO CONDUCT PROFESSIONAL TASKS AND  RELATE TO  OTHERS.

 

THIS IS JOHN BAILEY REPORTING FOR WHITE PLAINS WEEK. GOOD NIGHT AND THANK YOU