#Jim Maisano

[jimmaisano]

Listen to Jimmy's NEW R&R Playlist - September 2024

Listen to my September Playlist - 10 great songs by Grace Potter, Robert Jon & Wreck, Morgan Wade, Revivalists, Samantha Fish, Cole Swindell, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Maggie Rogers, Blackberry Smoke & Dan Zlotnick!

Here’s your Jimmy’s NEW R&R Playlist for September! Yes, it’s fantastic! As always, it’s newer music, with the 10 songs released in past few years: 2024 (1), 2023 (4), 2022 (3) & 2021 (2). ARTISTS: Grace Potter, Robert Jon & Wreck, Morgan Wade, Revivalists, Samantha Fish, Cole Swindell, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Maggie Rogers, Blackberry Smoke & Dan Zlotnick! APPLE:…

[karaburke13]

Pandemic sparks concern over price gouging in Westchester County

With Westchester, NY being one of the hardest hit areas by the corona virus in the state, there have been serious concerns of increases in price gouging due to the pandemic. 

Price gouging wouldn’t be new to Westchester, as it was also reported as an issue after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to the Attorney General of NY’s office. 

Investigating price gouging is more complicated than it seems though, as the laws on the topic are vague, especially in NY where the law constitutes price gouging as “selling goods or services to consumers in an affected area for an unconscionably excessive price”. In other states such as CA, they have a specific percentage price increase that indicates price gouging.  

NY’s law, which only goes into effect in the case of a national emergency,  specifies that this standard of “unconscionably excessive” is to be determined by a court of law, but a price is likely to fit that mold if the price is “grossly greater” than it was before the emergency event or than the price of similar goods in the area.

This vagueness leads to the question: where is the line between price gouging and regular price increases due to increased demand or decreased supply? The issue is that in NY, there is no real answer, it’s a legal gray area determined on a contextual case by case basis. 

The Attorney General’s office of NY notes on their website that they have received a large volume of complaints regarding price gouging, showing that consumers are noticing severe price increases. 

   According to the director of Westchester County’s Department of Consumer Protection, Jim Maisano, in an article by Lohud, several tickets have been issued for price gouging, and decisions will be issued to each store as things start to re open, as the judgement process has been delayed due to the pandemic. 

Consumers and workers alike have noted they felt some prices increased out of a reasonable range.

Michael Donato - who works in a small, local grocery store - says that he was told by his boss about the price of meat rising due to issues with distributors.  

“There were distributors in the city that would come and buy it from the [meat] depots, and they were trying to hoard it and raise up the price so they could make a quick buck.” said Donato. 

Donato also noted produce, such as tomatoes, increased substantially in price. 

“ I saw tomatoes at one point were $6 a pound. That's ridiculous. They shouldn't be anywhere near that much.” said Donato. 

 Walter Eng, who has worked at several different grocery stores and is now a consumer, explains that he saw large price increases occur in most good at some point during the outbreak, but noted toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies particularly rose in price. 

Both Donato and Eng brought up the issue of where the price gouging is actually coming from, as at times distribution facilities hike up prices, causing stores to have no choice but to increase their prices as well. This makes it difficult to tell who is actually doing the price gouging: the store or the distributors. 

When it comes to solutions to this issue, Donato recommends that the state could establish price caps to remove any gray area from the issue. In contrast, Eng says that he believes  it will always be a problem, and it’s really up to consumers to not shop at any stores that took part in price gouging during the pandemic. 

“You need to think about ‘where are you going?’Because the reputable companies, they've gotta be there tomorrow. Those are the ones that if they screw people over, people will notice. They can’t just shoot [customers] in the foot or they won't have any customers, just through word of mouth” said Eng. 

Both Eng and Donato felt that panic buying by consumers led to price gouging being more excessive, and noted that shoppers “were being ridiculous” at times. When there is such heavy demand for items, stores are forced into price increases. 

Eng explains, “The bottom of the problem is that the people that really need the product are not going to get it. They can't find it or they can’t afford it.” 

[nitestar]

Happy Birthday, Jim Maisano's Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Jim Maisano's Birthday!

— Peter C. Frank (@NiteStar) February 14, 2018

via Twitter https://twitter.com/NiteStar February 14, 2018 at 12:00AM

[tranimegirl]

I have a new follower on Twitter!

Jim Maisano County Legislator, New Rochelle & Pelham; Attorney @jamesmaisanoesq; USMC Vet; Fight for Free Speech, Free Minds & Economic Liberty; Giants, Jets, Rangers, Mets New Rochelle, NY http://bit.ly/2wzq9dq Following: 17562 - Followers: 25673 September 17, 2017 at 10:38PM via Twitter http://twitter.com/JimMaisano

[jimmaisano]

Jim's Consumer Advice - Protect Yourself From Scams!

Please watch, like & share this YouTube Video - tell your friends to be careful about scams from phone calls, texts & emails! Protect Yourself!

Check out this YouTube Video about the troubling reports my office receives about consumers being ripped off by criminal scammers – they contact people to rip them off by phone calls, texts & emails. Bottom Line: You need to protect yourself. You must view all unsolicited phone calls, texts and emails as possible scammers. You must screen all phone calls, texts & emails. You can always call the…

[jimmaisano]

Listen to Jimmy's NEW R&R Playlist - August 2024!

Check out my new playlist for August - 10 great tunes - all released in past 3 years!

Yesterday was the 1st Wednesday of Month, so you get my monthly playlist – hope you love it – I think it’s very fun. You’ll hear Chris Stapleton, Miko Marks, Duane Betts, Brothers Osborne, Lake Street Dive, Zac Brown Band, Mike Zito, Hailey Whitters, North Mississippi All Stars & Big Wolf Band! All songs released in past 3 years! Here’s…

[jimmaisano]

Check Out Video - How Westchester Consumer Protection Inspects Grocery Stores!

Check out this informative video on how Westchester Consumer Protection Dept. inspects grocery stores!

WESTCHESTER COUNTY CONSUMER PROTECTION DEPARTMENT KEEPS GROCERY STORES HONEST – ENSURING FAIRNESS! This Summer, our office will continue protecting consumers by conducting annual inspections of every grocery store in Westchester County. Our inspections are random & rigorous. We ensure that consumers have fair transactions, accurate results from scales & pay the correct price at checkout. What…

[jimmaisano]

Listen to Jimmy's NEW R&R Playlist for July!

Check out my awesome July Playlist!!!

Just what you need for a Holiday Week – a great new playlist with fun tunes by Black Keys, Luke Combs, Whiskey Myers, Maggie Rose, Black Pumas, Marcus King, Miranda Lambert w/ Friends, Record Company, Blondshell & Jackson Dean – most songs released in past year or so, all in past 5 years. I’ve now shared 267 songs since 2022! Here’s your…

[jimmaisano]

Be Careful of Grandparent Scam!

Learn more about the Grandparent Scam and how AI is making this scam even more dangerous!

The “Grandparent Scam” has been around for about a decade in different forms. It’s successful because scammers know Grandparents have a hard time saying NO to their grandchildren! In this troubling scam, the scammer calls a grandparent and impersonates a grandchild in a crisis situation – asking for immediate financial help – usually claiming to have lost a wallet or been in an accident or even…

[jimmaisano]

Listen to Jimmy's NEW R&R June Playlist!

Here's another great Jimmy's NEW R&R Playlist - check it out on Apple, Spotify or Amazon - all tunes released in past 4 years!

Yesterday was the 1st Wed of Month – so here’s a very fun playlist: ZZ Ward, The Dip, Larkin Poe, Dirty Guv’nahs, Moon Taxi, Tedeschi Truck Band, Cordovas, Bruvvy, Dave Fields & Lainey Wilson – all songs released from 2020 to 2023!…

[jimmaisano]

If You're Hiring a Home Improvement Contract - Please Follow The Law - Only Hire A Licensed Contractor!

ONLY hire licensed contractors to do home improvement work in Westchester County!

With the home improvement season heating up, the Westchester Consumer Protection Department (“ConPro”) is asking consumers to ONLY hire licensed contractors. (Note: it’s illegal for a home improvement contractor to operate in our county without a license). There are close to 9000 licensed contractors in Westchester, who have all complied with a detailed background check before getting a…

[jimmaisano]

College Hoops Chat Season Wrap-Up Show: UConn, Purdue & Final 4 Plus Iona Update!

Listen to our Final College Hoops Chat Show of 2023-24 Podcast! It's our Season Wrap-Up Show: lots of UConn, Purdue, my thought on CBB Issues, and also check in on Iona Gaels! CLICK LINK!

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JZrIOCoURVYFD7Hes4529 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-wrap-up-show-uconn-purdue-final-4-plus-iona-update/id1543354391?i=1000652815742 CLICK ABOVE to listen to April 17, 2024 episode of the College Hoops Chat podcast (53 mins) – our season wrap-up show! In my opening, I chat about the Final 4, National Championship Game, changes for…

[jimmaisano]

Listen to Jimmy's NEW R&R Playlist for April!

Check out April Playlist from Jimmy's NEW R&R Show!

While you couldn’t listen to my radio show last night – WVOX is no more – I still love you all, so here’s the playlist of the songs that I would have played on my show – 8 of the 10 songs released in past 3 years! Great tunes including one from Jack McKeon – the son of one of my HS buddies! Check it out on Apple, Amazon or…

[jimmaisano]

More March Madness: Sweet 16 & Elite 8 Review - Final 4 Predictions!

Listen to NEW EPISODE of the College Hoops Chat Podcast - More March Madness - Sweet 16 & Elite 8 Review - Final 4 Predictions! CLICK LINK!

SPOTIFY:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ODylq1p9gpPkTH88fh7Uo APPLE:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-march-madness-sweet-16-elite-8-review-final-4/id1543354391?i=1000651139335 Click above to listen to April 1, 2024 episode of the College Hoops Chat podcast (37 mins)! We review the Sweet 16 & Elite 8 and share Final 4 predictions. I’m joined by: Patrick Madden of Big Big East…

[jimmaisano]

We Review Opening 2 Rounds of NCAA Tourney & Offer Predictions on Sweet 16!

Listen to NEW Episode of the College Hoops Chat podcast - we review opening 2 rounds of NCAA Tourney & offer predictions on Sweet 16! CLICK LINK!

SPOTIFY:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/44GElkdDHW2WdBUxZxUYdk APPLE:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-review-opening-2-rounds-of-ncaa-tourney-and/id1543354391?i=1000650454170 CLICK ABOVE to listen to March 25, 2024 episode of the College Hoops Chat podcast (42 mins)! We review all the big games in the first 2 rounds of the NCAA Tourney and share some thoughts and predictions for the…

[jimmaisano]

It's Our NCAA Tournament Show - Very Helpful March Madness Bracket Advice - Great Guests!

Listen to the College Hoops Chat NCAA Tournament Show - Terrific/Helpful March Madness Bracket Advice - Great Guests! CLICK LINK!

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1aI1QvIz3eR8xTrcFuqT44 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-our-ncaa-tournament-show-terrific-march-madness/id1543354391?i=1000649666647 CLICK ABOVE to listen to March 18, 2024 episode of the College Hoops Chat podcast (57 mins) – don’t do your NCAA Tournament Bracket until you listen to this show! Our excellent guests will share terrific…