AMERICAN AIRLINES, USO AND THE SANDS FOUNDATION TEAM UP TO GIVE WOUNDED MILITARY WARRIORS

JFK Airport, Queens, NY (November 11, 2010) – For the second year in a row in celebration of Veterans Day, American Airlines, the USO and The Sands Foundation got together to give 150 wounded military warriors and their families a free weekend trip to Las Vegas. The American Eagle Boeing 767-200 adorned with yellow-ribbons nick-named ‘Flagship Independence’, transported U.S. troops and families on its inaugural flight from New York’s JFK Airport to the Venetian in Las Vegas for second annual ‘Tribute to the Troops’. This “Tribute to the Troops 2010 Las Vegas” group includes service members from Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga.; Bethesda Navy Hospital; Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; and veterans from the New York City area.

The rollout of Flagship Independence brings to six the number of American and American Eagle aircraft that proudly sport iconic yellow-ribbon decals and the slogan, “In support of all who serve,” on their fuselages, a visual expression of the airlines’ support for the nation’s armed forces. The other yellow-ribbon aircraft include an American Airlines 757, Flagship Freedom; a 737, Flagship Liberty; and three American Eagle aircraft. These aircraft are often utilized for special charter flights for veterans, wounded military and first responders.

American Airlines, the official airline of the USO, joined with the Sands Foundation (the charitable arm of Las Vegas Sands Corp.) again honor our nation’s veterans and active members with a weekend of relaxation, entertainment, sightseeing, and educational seminars.

The Master of Ceremony, Mark Magarian of American’s JFK Customer Service said that “American Airlines has long-standing ties to the nation’s armed forces. With more than 60 percent of American’s pilots and 10 percent of all American and American Eagle Airlines employees serving as active military or veterans, the company places a strong emphasis on its military and veteran’s initiatives. American supports members of the military, veterans and their families in their communities via in-kind contributions to nonprofit organizations and employee engagement in a wide variety of events and activities. American also offers special airfares, priority boarding and Admirals Club Lounge access for qualifying active military.”

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Spirted Discussion At The November 4 New Rochelle Citizens Reform Club Meeting

The New Rochelle Citizens Reform Club met on Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 PM, at the American Legion Post 8 Hall, 112 North Ave., New Rochelle. This group meets monthly to discuss a host of local issues.

The first item on tonight's agenda was the proposed Iona Dormitory issue that Greg Varian, an attorney and resident of the area, made a brief report. The dorm is being financed by the NY State Dormitory Authority and is located on the north side of New Rochelle. He highlighted the issues surrounding this new construction citing parking, vehicular traffic, and the surrounding building zoning issues. Iona used to be a commuter school that redefined its self as a residential/dormitory college some years ago.

Under Iona’s plan, the existing structure would be redeveloped into a 10-story dormitory. It appears at first glance that no special variances are needed. Mr. Varian, begs to differ even though Iona owns the land in question. ‘Spot zoning’ is not the intent when a low-density structure is to be replaced by a building that would dwarf the rest of the neighborhood. Land use, density, water pressure, sewer and the height of the building over the 6-story building limit issues are all topics that need to be resolved. He maintains that the health of the North Avenue corridor affects the entire city. The idea is to strengthen the area around the college by making a common-sense consensus.

Following the vein already in place, City Councilman Lou Trangucci continued the discussion. The water pressure and age of the pipes the water travels in were also addressed. An increase in the number of residents causes increased water and sewer use. In the near future, the water tax will rise by $700 to expand the federally-mandated sewer treatment plant and capacity issues.

He added that there will be a 4% property tax increase this year with no decrease in services while maintaining a hiring freeze. Developers need to pay their fair share because of the increased cost of running the school system. Clearly, the City’s fiscal situation needs to be remedied.

The special guest speaker was New Rochelle City Councilman Dist. # 4 Richard St. Paul gave updates about pending developments and finances in New Rochelle. He reiterated the same fiscal issues that City Councilman Lou Trangucci spoke of earlier. Hiring freezes and pay freezes are taking their toll on police and fire presence in the city. New Rochelle residents face the prospect of higher fire insurance bills should the rating of the NRPD go down because the slower response time and ability to fight fires.