(Yorktown Heights, NY) – Westchester County’s Hilltop Hanover Farm received a $4,375 grant from the Bedford Garden Club to start a volunteer-run native plant nursery. The farm will use it to cultivate plants native to Westchester County including swamp milkweed, New York ironweed and bee balm. These plants are low maintenance, naturally adapted to thrive in our area and support our ecosystems.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “This grant will strengthen the ecosystems of Westchester County as we move towards our goal of increasing availability of native plants, and sharing knowledge of their use, maintenance and propagation.”
Volunteers will be trained by botanists, in a series of six classes, on plant culture and the collection, cleaning and propagation of seeds. Workshop leaders include New England Wild Flower Society Propagator Dan Jaffe, Highstead Operations Manager Geordie Elkins and Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank Consulting Botanist Molly Marquand.
Hilltop Hanover Farm Director Shanyn Siegel said: “The seeds collected in this program will be used to plant founder plots that can be harvested for seeds subsequent years so the nursery can continue to grow ecoregional native plants without over-harvesting from wild populations.”
The nursery will start production in June. The plants will be ready in the fall to be used in civic and local conservation projects, and sold to residents for ecological landscaping.
The program will support Executive Order No. 10 of 2018, which aims to preserve the natural heritage and restore biodiversity in the County. Additionally, it will support the many environmental organizations and initiatives in Westchester, including the Pollinator Pathway, Healthy Yards and pollinator-friendly solar.
Hilltop Hanover Farm will launch the volunteer program on Thursday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. The New York Botanical Garden Director of the Thain Family Forest Jessica Schuler will discuss lessons learned from the New York Botanical Garden’s 120 years of garden management and share tips to use in your own garden with a focus on native plants.
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION HONORS STAFF, RETIREES AND PARTNERS IN CEREMONY RECOGNIZING ITS FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY.
(Valhalla, NY) – On May 10, as part of National Correctional Professionals Week, the Westchester County Department of Correction (DOC) celebrated a truly golden milestone. At a ceremony attended by over 250 retirees, active members of service, care providers and partners, Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Correction Commissioner Joseph K. Spano reflected on the many challenges, changes and achievements of the largest law enforcement agency in Westchester.
2019 marks DOC’s fiftieth year as a criminal justice agency, formed in 1969 from what were then functions of the County Sheriff and the Department of Public Welfare. In merging these functions, Westchester sought to extend the rehabilitative initiatives afforded to its sentenced offenders to pre-trial detainees, and to create a unified workforce of similarly-credentialed officers.
In his remarks, Latimer discussed some of the functions of County government that may go unnoticed by the public but which are critical to public health and community safety, including the operation of the Correction Department. Latimer stated: “There’s a fine line -- how do you deal with individuals who have seriously broken the rules of society? It requires simultaneously balancing punishment with rehabilitation and a productive return to society. That may be as difficult a task as Westchester County government has to accomplish.”
Following the County Executive's remarks, he presented Spano with a brass eagle, dedicated to the men and women of the department and commemorating their achievement as part of National Correctional Professionals Week.
Spano provide the attendees with a wonderful overview of the Department’s 50 years of history, from its inception during the civil rights movement of 1960s and 1970s, through the challenges of the 1980s and 1990s and up to the present day, where DOC now has the distinction of being a national leader in criminal justice reform. Showcasing the many innovative reentry and rehabilitation programs and the dedication of its 800+ staff, Spano stated: “We now have 31 active rehabilitative and reentry programs, and hundreds of community partners with whom we work hand-in-hand to prepare returning citizens for successful reentry. Those partnerships are a large part of why we are considered a leader in the corrections space, and it’s working.” Comm. Spano then noted that the Department’s local inmate census was 734, its lowest in over 35 years.
Following Spano’s remarks, Chairman Benjamin Boykin presented the Department with a Proclamation on behalf of the County Board of Legislators, noting that the Department’s officers, supervisors, civilians, program providers and spiritual leaders place themselves in harm’s way on every shift and, in doing so, perform a critical frontline public safety function that is often recognized by too few, but with an impact felt by all.
Genevieve Dishotsky, age 80, the daughter of DOC’s first Commissioner Roberts Wright, flew in from California to attend and was recognized by Spano as a guest of honor. In discussing the career of Wright, Professor Anthony Czarnecki noted that Wright’s longtime commitment to social justice and rehabilitation was a driving force behind his 1968 appointment by then-County Executive Edwin Michaelian.
The ceremony featured the Department’s Ceremonial Honor Guard, the Westchester County Police Emerald Society’s Pipes and Drums and over fifty years of retirees, staff members and elected officials that made major contributions to the agency and to those it serves. Many historical artifacts, photographs and curated documents were also displayed, along with specialized tactical equipment and other memorabilia. The ceremony concluded with a benediction from the Department’s longtime Imam, John Nashid, who prayed for the safety of those in attendance, those working in the facility, and of the individuals who find themselves involved in the criminal justice system.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THOSE PESKY CREDIT CARD SURCHAGES FROM THE COUNTY’S CONSUMER PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.
(White Plains, NY) – With credit card surcharges now in the news, the Westchester Consumer Protection Department is working to clear up questions for consumers. More people than ever before are using credit and debit cards for payments in stores and restaurants, and some merchants are now seeking to add surcharges to bills to recover their transaction fees for these plastic payments.
Merchants recently engaged in a legal challenge to a New York State law that banned them from charging a credit/debit card surcharge. After an extensive litigation, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that:
· Merchants can charge two different prices, one for credit cards and one for cash;
· The higher price charged to credit card users must be posted in total dollars and cents form; and
· Merchants can call the price differential anything they wish.
Westchester County Consumer Protection Director Jim Maisano said: “After this prominent legal decision, if merchants decide to add a surcharge to bills, they must clearly inform consumers of the terms of the surcharge in ‘dollars and cents’ on the bill and receipt. Consumers should not have to do math to figure out the surcharge. While merchants can now charge a surcharge, they cannot do so in a misleading way.”
These extra credit card fees are now allowed but must be included in the final selling price of a good or service. Merchants must either display both prices (cash and credit) or the higher credit card price only. If the merchant only displays the cash price or lists the cash price only and states that the credit card price is a certain percent higher, it would be a violation of law.
Additionally, Sec. 863.71 of the Westchester County Consumer Protection Code requires that for the marking of item prices and advertised prices, it shall be a violation “to sell or offer for sale any consumer goods or services at a greater price than the price displayed or advertised therefor.”
County law also mandates that gasoline stations that offer two (2) tier pricing (cash/credit) need to display the higher selling credit price as well as the discounted cash price. Drivers must know when pulling up to the pump what their highest cost exposure is before filling their tanks. Debit sales can be considered credit sales or cash sales, the determination being made by the merchant.
If consumers believe merchants are engaging in deceptive or unconscionable trade
practices regarding credit card surcharges, they can reach out to the Consumer Protection Department for advice at ConPro@westchestergov.com or 914-995-2155.
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