Negro Baseball League Exhibit at the Bronx Museum
  

    In conjunction with opening day at Yankee Stadium the 161st Street BID held its own opening weekend list of events to showcase the 161st Street business area. Thursday morning before opening day at Yankee Stadium a concert was held in Ruth/Gehrig park. On Friday it was the opening day of "The Negro League Exhibit" at the Bronx Museum. Then on Saturday former Yankee great Roy White, along with Negro league player Jim Robinson signed free autographs for hundreds of Yankee fans in front and inside of a packed Stan's Sports Bar on River Avenue. Roy and Jim then went to Mullaly Park just north of Yankee Stadium to sign autographs for the many kids who play little league baseball sponsored by the Grand Slam foundation. 

    After he finished signing autographs Roy White walked over to the Bronx Museum to view the Negro League exhibit on display. He met Ricky Martinez (who loaned part of his private collection for the exhibit) and the two looked at every item while Mr. Martinez explained the history of each item on display. Ricky Martinez explained that the Negro Leagues were made up of black and what are now called Hispanic players, such as his grandfather Rudolpho "Rudy" Fernandez. Ricky added that it was his grandfather that got him started collecting Negro League memorabilia when he was seven years old. 

    There were autographed baseballs, hats, bats, photos, plaques, and even an original uniform, with names such as Willie Mays, Leroy "Satchel" Page, Roy Campanella, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Josh Gibson, Lionel Hampton, Buck Leonard, Jackie Robinson, and many others that were not so famous, but played and enjoyed the game. 

    The Negro Leagues were established in the 1920's as an alternative to Major League Baseball, for non-white baseball players that could not play in the major league due to the color barrier. Jackie Robinson broke that color barrier on April 15th, 1947, and as other Major League baseball teams removed the color barrier by 1960 the Negro Leagues were history. "All that remains is the stories and memories of those who played the game of Black Baseball". The Negro League Museum is located in Kansas City Missouri.     

DEP to CFM "We are not going to say anything more tonight"

    We were glad to see Father Richard Gorman back after a brief health issue that sidelined the now 40 pounds lighter Community Board # 12 Chairman, but that may have been the only good news at the March Croton Filtration Monitoring Committee meeting.

    The DEP went over the updated costs of the Croton water filtration plant being built in Van Cortlandt Park, which showed that consultants Metcalf & Eddy/Hazen and Sawyer, JV current contract amount to be at $257,957,640 million dollars, an increase of 463% over the original contract price of $44, 226,000 million dollars. This as the completed costs to finish building the water filtration plant approach the 3 billion dollar level for completion in 2013, almost 20 years after first being proposed at an estimated cost of 600 million dollars by the Giuliani administration. There were also continued questions of the way the water is to be filtered as newer cheaper methods have come about in the past 20 years. 

    As for the report on the percentage of Bronx workers at the plant, DEP said that it is now at 16%. (a 2 1/2 year low), and Councilman G. Oliver Koppell upon hearing such a low percentage said that was not good enough, and wanted to know why the number was so low. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (who was in the audience) then said that our community was lied to by DEP Commissioner Ward and that DEP has lied throughout the entire process. There was also a question of how many workers were taking mass transit to the site, as that was a selling point for this site being at the end of the # 4 subway, and along several bus routes including some from Westchester Count. 

    When it came to the update of siting an alternate route for the force main for waste water to flow to the treatment plant in the South Bronx, it was said that the report was not ready as there was not enough information yet to make that determination.

    The "Dumb Deaf and Silent" act by Mark Lanaghan of DEP came when the subject of public access to the Jerome Park Reservoir then came up. Mr. Lanaghan stated that there was a report sent to the Bronx Borough President about the subject, and that he nor any one else from DEP was not going to take part in, listen, or even speak any more. As Mr. Lanaghan sat in his chair he then pulled out his Blacberry phone (as most city agency heads do in meetings), trying to ignore what was going on. For the rest of the meeting no one from DEP uttered a word, and it seemed as though Mr. Lanaghan turned into a figure that one would see in a wax museum. 

    After lengthy a discussion about the access to the reservoir (without DEP input)  Father Gorman asked for a meeting to be run by the Bronx Borough President along with all the stakeholders in the community on the issue of access, since DEP had answered his query on the subject. A question arose from the audience on the subject of playing golf on top of the completed plant (as proposed that the previous golf course would be replaced above the plant) when there was such a great deal of importance for security reasons to keep people away from the Jerome Park Reservoir, which did not get answered.   

    The next meeting of the Croton Water Filtration Committee was the n scheduled for Wednesday April 27th.

Town Hall Meetings

  On Sunday April 10th at 11AM at the Van Courtlandt Jewish Center (located at 3880 Sedgwick Avenue) there will be a town hall meeting with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (81 A.D.), Congressman Eliot Engel, Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, and State Senator Gustavo Rivera (33 S.D.). The elected officials want your input on federal, state, and city issues, such as housing, city rent laws, senior citizen concerns, MTA issues, education matters, and others. 

  For more information on this town hall meeting in the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center you can call Assemblyman Dinowitz's office at 718-796-5345. 

  On Saturday April 16th at 2PM at the Bedford Park Senior Center (located at 243 East 204th Street, one block from the Grand Concourse) there will will be a town hall meeting with Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, Assemblyman Jose Rivera (78 A.D.), and State Senator Gustavo Rivera (33 S.D.). The elected officials will address issues and participate in an dialogue on matters of importance to the Bedford Park-Norwood area, such as senior citizen concerns, housing, rent laws (set to expire June 30th), MTA,  and education matters to name some.

  For more information on this town hall meeting in the Bedford Park-Norwood area you can call 78th Male State Committeeman Ricky Martinez at 646-509-7166.

  This came in from Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. which talks about "Conference of Somos Uno" , the annual function for Hispanic legislators to meet, and discuss ways in which they can use their power to defend political abuses and resolve the disadvantages they have as Hispanics. This ends by saying that the black and hispanic elected officials whom voted yes on the budget turned their backs on their communities, to win favor with Governor Cuomo.

     Are We One or Are We the Shame?

This weekend, the Legislative Conference known as Somos Uno or “We are One”, which is comprised of all the Hispanic Legislators of the State Legislature, will gather in Albany, the State Capital to find ways in which Hispanic elected officials can protect, defend and stand up for the Hispanic community all across New York State.

This Conference of Somos Uno began its’ annual functions more than 30 years ago under the name Somos el Futuro or “We are the Future,”  under the guidance of the late Assemblyman Angelo del Toro.

This weekend, from Friday to Sunday, all will gather in Albany where there will be workshops and conferences to discuss ways in which we can use our power to defend political abuses and resolve the disadvantages we have as Hispanics.

The problem  is that these same elected officials were the first ones to give up and trade our community, sometimes for a pittance.

Last night, those same legislators, almost all, voted in favor of the budget which will practically devastate our people.

If all the elected officials, both Hispanic and African-American, would have come together in favor of the poor, the elderly, the children and the needy, we would have defeated the budget and forced the Governor to include the Millionaires Tax and/or extend Rent Control.

Yes my dear friends, we have the power to morally send a message, with our “No” vote,  Governor Cuomo will not be able to continue cutting services to the people that we are supposed to defend.

Instead, one by one, our own legislators and those who will meet this weekend to try to form new methods to defend our people, were the first to fail and lost the opportunity to tell Governor Cuomo “enough is enough.”

Some of them may tell you that they had no other alternative, that if they did not it would cripple the government, or they would have offered some other type of political spin to defend their actions.

I say that there is always an alternative. The alternative to vote with courage and determination. The alternative to defend our community and not say one thing publicly and do another privately with the Governor.

I am afraid that this is not the first nor the last time our elected officials will turn their backs on our community to win the favor of the Governor.

I am afraid that this is not the first time that We are One or We are the Future has become “We are the Shame.”

I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

Lawmakers Spar over Taxing the Rich

  Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera (78th A.D.) said "stop talking sh*t" about the fight over state aid between NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo. Rivera added that certain people should stop whining. 

  Over in the state senate meanwhile, Senator Gustavo Rivera (no relation) questioned the Republican Senate Finance chairman on the millionaire's tax, trying to get Senator De Francisco to say that it was a tax break for the rich by letting it expire. 

  And then there was Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. who accused Governor Cuomo of eyeing the White House, instead of doing what's right for New Yorkers. See the entire article "Lawmakers Spar Over Taxing the Rich" here , including the 5 1/2 minute video of Senator Diaz announcing the Cuomo for President campaign.

Pedro Espada Jr. and Son, Hit With New Federal Charges

  We said months ago that we thought that Pedro Espada would be hit with charges of tax evasion, and that is just what the U.S. Attorney has done. You can read the entire 30 page indictment here where tax evasion charges have been added to other charges against Pedro Espada Jr. and his son Pedro Gautier Espada.

  Both Espadas are currently out on $750,000 Bail, and their was no comments on the new charges.

Assemblyman Dinowitz declares victory in fight to save senior centers

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), Chair of the New York State Assembly Committee on Aging, has applauded the restoration of Title XX funding in the budget, part of which is used to fund senior centers in New York City.  Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget cut Title XX funding, causing Mayor Bloomberg to threaten to close 105 senior centers in New York City.  There is now a three-way agreement among the Governor, the Assembly, and the Senate to restore this funding.

“Restoration of Title XX funding was my number one budget priority as Aging Committee Chair.  New York City colleagues joined with me in insisting that this crucial funding be restored.  Speaker Silver strongly supported this restoration, and the Assembly budget resolution included a full restoration of Title XX funding,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

“I am pleased that Governor Cuomo, the Assembly, and the Senate are now all on the same page in supporting continued funding of our senior centers.  This huge victory means that thousands of New York City seniors will not be closed out of their senior centers.  I call upon Mayor Bloomberg to rescind his hit list of senior centers to be closed as soon as the budget is passed and signed.  Now that there will be no state funding cut to New York City senior centers, I call upon Mayor Bloomberg to pledge not to close even a single center,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association Dinner Dance APRIL 30th

 

JOIN US FOR

A

TRIBUTE TO LEADERSHIP

DINNER DANCE

This Year Honoring

SR. Mary Cleary

Principal

Our Lady of Angels School

SATURDAY APRIL 30, 2011

7 PM – 11 PM

Lehman College-  East Dining Room

Make your reservations early as seating is limited for this very special occasion.

TICKETS: $25.00      Info/718-618-7550

The Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association, Inc.

2805 University Avenue, Suite B

Bronx, N.Y. 10468

Tel- 718-618-7550       Fax: 718-618-7549

Khnia@aol.com            www.khniainc.blogspot.com

Plight of Working Poor Inspires Citywide Call for Living Wage

On Anniversary of Dr. King’s Death, New Yorkers Rally in Two Boroughs

Brooklyn and Bronx City Council Members, Faith Leaders, and Many Others to Demand Living Wage Jobs

 

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed while fighting for living wage jobs. This April 4th, Brooklyn and Bronx rallies will honor his legacy as part of the growing citywide movement for a living wage at a time when far too many working people continue to struggle to survive, despite working full-time hours. Through story, song, and sermon, they will convey a sense of crisis and rally for action.

On this historic occasion, elected officials from Brooklyn and the Bronx will join faith leaders, labor leaders, community leaders, and local residents in pushing for swift passage of the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, popular legislation that will help create more living wage jobs.

Bronx - The event is co-hosted by the following Bronx elected officials: Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.; Bronx City Council Member G. Oliver Koppell; and other elected officials, faith leaders, labor leaders, community leaders, and local Bronx residents will participate.

Monday, April 4, 2011, 7:00 p.m., Bronx Pentecostal Deliverance Center 1755 Watson Ave. Bronx, NY (6 Train to Lawrence)

Sen. Klein & Public Health Advocates Unveil Plan to Combat Underage 'Alcopop' Abuse

  State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester), chairman of the Senate Alcohol and Drug Abuse Committee, was joined by public health advocates from across New York Sunday to unveil plans to crack down on easy access that minors have to Four Loko and similar high-alcohol malted beverages.

This strategy came as result of recent undercover police stings in New York City, as well as a survey of hospitals and colleges across New York State. The results all showed that these beverages – and their dangerous consequences – continue to be easily within the reach of underage drinkers.

“The results of these investigations clearly show that 'alcopops' like Four Loko- or any other type of these deceptive drinks- are still too easy for teens to get their hands on. It is time for us to take the necessary steps to get these dangerous cocktails off the shelves of convenience stores and bodegas in order to save our teens from any further injury or harm,” Senator Klein said.

“Alcopops,” or High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverages, are sweetened and flavored malt-based drinks with high alcohol content (Four Loko has a 12 percent alcohol content, while a normal beer generally has a 4 to 5 percent alcohol content.) They are generally sold for $2 to $3 for a 22 ounce can, have very similar packaging to non-alcoholic energy drinks, and have a history of being aggressively marketed to minors.

Senator Klein's plan includes:

• Moving alcopops out of the corner store and restricting their sales to liquor stores

Liquor stores, which are more highly regulated, are not frequented by minors, and are the more appropriate place to purchase a product with such a high alcohol content. Senator Klein was introduced legislation (S.4221) to make this change. This measure was draft as Phusion Projects, announced that it would be packaging its High Alcohol beverage Four Loko in bottle form with the specific goal to further increase its presence in grocery and convenience stores. According to the bill, a High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverage is classified as defined, under this bill, as a beverage with a combination of 6 % alcohol by volume and 1 % sugar that also includes the addition of flavorings. Such flavorings can be fruit juices or fruit flavor additives, or herbs, nuts, or spices, such as chocolate, licorice or vanilla or stimulants such as guarana, ginseng, or taurine.

• Once and for all banning caffeinated alcopops in New York

Police recently discovered a caffeinated version of Four Loko – which that Federal Food and Drug Administration has deemed to a public health concern – still being sold in a gas station in Pelham. This is despite an agreement that the State State Liquor Authority secured with Phusion Project to stop selling that version of Four Loko in New York, and a seperate agreement that the SLA forged with the state's largest beer distributors to stop selling any alcoholic energy drinks that contain caffeine and other stimulants. Senator Klein has introduced legislation (S.3889) that would make it illegal to sell these caffeinated alcoholic beverages. This legislation is slated to be voted on by the Senate Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee on Monday.

• Holding the first-ever statewide hearing on underage alcopop abuse

On April 12, at 11:30 am, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Committee will be holding a hearing on the dangers, rising trend of underage drinking, direct marketing targeting minors, college campus prevalence, law enforcement, and legislation on dealing with alcopops. The goal of the hearing is to raise awareness of the issue and to shape pending and future legislation dealing with the regulation of High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverages.

"There are a number of alcoholic beverages like Four Loko that are marketed specifically to our youth. These drinks often are the ones that get younger teens started drinking," said New York City Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. "When young teens drink alcohol they experience alcohol-related harms and increase their risk for lifetime problems of alcohol dependence or abuse. Senator Klein's bill is an important first step toward protecting our young people from these alcoholic beverages."

Earlier this week, Senator Klein asked the NYPD's Bronx Borough Command to look into whether teens were gaining easy access to alcoholic beverages, including Four Loko and other alcopops in the Bronx portion of the 34th Senate district, which he represents.

Following Klein’s request, an undercover investigation was launched in the three principal precincts of his district: the 45th Precinct (serving Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay, Co-Op City, Country Club, Westchester Square and City Island), the 47th Precinct (serving Wakefield and Woodlawn which Klein represents as well as Baychester, Edelwald and Fishkill) and the 49th Precinct (serving Morris Park, Van Nest, Allerton, Ollinville, and Pelham Gardens).

The operations were led by the Borough Inspector. An undercover volunteer - under the age of 18  - went into several businesses attempting to buy Four Loko and other alcoholic beverages. Out of the 23 businesses visited, 17 sold alcohol to the minor without asking for ID. The types of locations that were part of the investigation were a combination of bodegas and convenience stores.

The breakdown is as follows:

The 45th Precinct investigated 10 stores, 7 were issued violations

The 47th Precinct investigated  7 stores, 5 were issued violations

The 49th Precinct investigated 6 stores, 5 were issued violations

In addition, Senator Klein and the Independent Democratic Conference released the results of a survey taken in the past week of hospitals and law enforcement across New York State regarding incidents involving beverages with high alcohol content.

The results were startling.

In the past week, four minors were rushed to the Elmhurst Hospital Emergency Room in Queens with alcohol poisoning due as a result of consuming Four Loko and Joose.

On March 17, 2011 - St. Patrick's Day - police were called to an underage party in Eastchester involving the consumption of Four Loko. The survey also unveiled that a gas station supermarket in Pelham is still selling Four Loko in its caffeinated form.

In a third survey of colleges conducted by the Independent Democratic Conference, many campus security officers knew of the beverage, were concerned of the high level of alcohol and had policies in place to deal with not only these products but underage drinking as well.

Since January, Canisius College reported 10 cases involving underage consumption of Four Loko - both on and off campus.

In addition, the University of Buffalo reported a number of 821 alcohol violations in 2009, many included Four Loko, of both underage and of age, in the residence halls. Since January 2011, there have been total of 16 overdoses due to alcohol.

The Independent Democratic Conference also learned through their survey so far this year, the Downstate Poison Control Center has received 7 calls reporting 7 separate cases of people being hospitalized after consuming Four Loko. 5 of those 7 individuals were under the legal drinking age.

“The New York Alcohol Policy Alliance commends Senator Klein for his commitment to the young people of New York State by proposing to greatly restrict access to these sweetened, high-alcohol ‘binge-in-a-can’ drinks. We believe that this legislation represents an important first step toward protecting our kids from alcopops – highly sweetened ‘starter drinks.' We look forward to participating in Senator Klein’s upcoming hearings on the matter, so that the people of New York can take effective action to thwart the alcohol companies who are irresponsibly marketing these products to our youth,” said Robert Pezzolesi, CEO of the New York Center for Alcohol Policy Solutions.

"Marin Institute applauds Senator Klein's leadership to help get this dangerous products out of the reach of youth. We are seeing a disturbing trend of high-potency, sweetened alcoholic beverages that needs to be stopped, " said Michele Simon, Research and Policy Director, Marin Institute.

“Four Loko is clearly marketed to seduce our young people, due to its high sugar content and flavoring. It is not the type of beverage that would be attractive to adults. All underage drinking is harmful, and we are grateful and supportive of Senator Klein’s position, in order to protect our youth,” said Joan Bonsignore, Executive Director, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence/Westchester, Inc.

"On behalf of prevention providers and parents, I applaud Senator Klein's efforts to keep kids safe. By taking these dangerous beverages out of convenience stores and supermarkets it will be less likely that a store cashier will mistake them for non-alcoholic beverages and therefore less likely that youth will be able to obtain them," said Ellen Morehouse, Executive Director of Student Assistance Services of Westchester County.

"Moving these "binge in a can" products from convenience stores to liquor stores makes sense.  The Eastchester Communities That Care coalition supports initiatives that keep alcohol out of teenagers' reach,” said James Genova, Project Director for Eastchester Communities That Care.

 

(Photo Attached: James Genova, Project Director for Eastchester Communities That Care, Ellen Morehouse, Executive Director of Student Assistance Services of Westchester County, Tanya Cooper, NCADD - Westchester Chapter, Senator Klein and Robert Pezzolesi, CEO of the New York Center for Alcohol Policy Solutions)