Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Diaz Team Announces the Fifth Abrazo Garifuna


What You Should Know
By State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District 


You should know that the Diaz Team is comprised of New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, along with Assembly members Marcos Crespo, Luis Sepulveda and Michael Blake – and we are announcing that this Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 7pm there will be more than 500 people attending the Fifth Abrazo Garifuna in New York celebration at Maestro's Caterers located at 1703 Bronxdale Avenue.

This Abrazo Garifuna is celebration of the many contributions of the Garifuna community to the City and State of New York. New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, along with Assembly members Marcos Crespo, Luis Sepulveda and Michael Blake will be honoring from distinguished members of the Garifuna community for their outstanding achievements.  They are: Marcia Gomez, for Community Leadership; Yeny Budari Placios, for Arts and Culture; Deacon Apolonio Mejia, for Religion; and Arnol Guity-Martinez for Youth Leadership.

It is important for you to know that this event for the Garifuna community is completely free - and that there are the 500 seats that will be available to the first 500 people who arrive.

Editors Note:  We call it Team Diaz rather than the Diaz Team.


STACEY DASH NAMED TO BRONX WALK OF FAME



Actress, Writer, and TV Commentator Stacey Dash To Be Inducted Into The Bronx Walk of Fame

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced today that actress, author and television commentator Stacey Dash will be inducted into the 2015 Bronx Walk of Fame.

“We are excited about inducting the charismatic Stacey Dash into the Bronx Walk of Fame,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Our newest member of The Bronx Walk of Fame is a multi-talented and distinguished Bronxite who represents the fearless spirit of our borough to the fullest, whether it is in movies such as the 1995 classic ‘Clueless,’ or speaking her mind as a television commentator and writer.”

“I am very grateful to have been chosen to be a part of such an important and significant event in the borough of my birth, a place that left an impact in my life and made me who I am – Bronx Strong,” said Dash. “This borough is very special to me and I truly appreciate being inducted into The Bronx Walk of Fame. I want to thank, in particular, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who has made it his mission to transform The Bronx into a better place for all residents, and for his vision in motivating all Bronxites to follow their dreams.”

Stacey knew that she wanted to act, and from an early age appeared in commercials before landing first small-screen role in the 1982 made-for-TV film Farrell for the People. She then went on to playing a recurring role on The Cosby Show, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

She made her feature film debut at 21 years old in Enemy Territory. Since then Dash has led a notable acting career that has spanned more than 20 years. She has appeared in numerous films and television series including roles in Renaissance ManMo' Money, and View from the Top.

Her work in Clueless earned her a nomination for a 1995 “Youth in Film Award” for “Best Young Supporting Actress in a Feature Film,” which earned her a role in the television adaptation.

In May 2014, Dash was hired as a contributor for "cultural analysis and commentary" by Fox News, where she voices her opinions and encourages discussion on topics ranging from pop culture to national news and politics across all media platforms.

Her book “There Goes My Social Life”, is scheduled for publication this summer, where Dash discusses how she became a conservative, her upbringing in the South Bronx and her Hollywood career.

Stacey Dash will be officially inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame as part of the 44th annual Bronx Week, a program of The Bronx Tourism Council.

Bronx Week 2015 is a highly-anticipated 11-day event where the entire borough, including government, business, and the community-at-large, come together to celebrate “The Best of The Bronx” through festivals, concerts, health fairs, parades, performances and a host of other activities. It will take place from May 8-17. At the end of the 11-day celebration, our hometown heroes like Dash are honored with induction into the Bronx Walk of Fame, where their names are emblazoned on a street sign to reside on the historic Grand Concourse forever.

For more information about Bronx Week 2015, visitwww.ilovethebronx.com.


Monday, April 6, 2015

Croton FMC Meeting on April 20



The Croton FMC will meet on Monday, April 20 at 7:00pm at the DEP office, 3660 Jerome Avenue, Bronx NY 10467.


The agenda will be posted once it is available.


MAYORS DE BLASIO AND GARCETTI ANNOUNCE LEGAL ACTION IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRATION REFORMS




More Than 70 Cities & Counties Sign Texas vs. United States Appeal Urging Immediate Implementation of President Obama’s Immigration Executive Action

  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today that 73 cities and counties had filed a new friend-of-the-court brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Texas vs. United States lawsuit, urging immediate implementation of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

“Continuing to delay implementation of the President’s executive action on immigration hurts our economy and puts families at risk,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Cities are where immigrants live, and cities are where the President’s executive action will be successfully implemented. Our cities are united, and we will fight for the immigration reform this nation needs and deserves – whether in the courtroom, in Congress, or in our communities. Make no mistake about it: our voices will be heard.”

“Our cities cannot afford delays to immigration reforms that will strengthen our economy and help families,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This isn’t a blue or red issue, but a human and economic one.”

The brief demonstrates robust support from the country’s largest cities – as well as suburbs and rural areas – for the President’s reforms, which will temporarily relieve from deportation thousands of immigrants who have longstanding ties to the U.S.

The cities and counties – representing 43 million people across the country – argue that the district court judge who temporarily blocked implementation of the programs failed to consider the significant harm to America’s local governments caused by this delay.

According to an analysis by the City, each month that the implementation of these programs is delayed, New York City and New York State will lose at least $1.5 million in additional state and local tax revenue that would be generated if 100,000 immigrants in New York City were able to access temporary work permits through executive action.

“New York’s immigrants are vital to our economy and we must do all we can to help them grow and thrive. Mayor de Blasio is correct – instead of putting up barriers, we should be looking at ways to help immigrants climb the ladder of economic opportunity and welcome them into our communities. The New York State Assembly Majority strongly supports President Obama’s executive action on immigration, and further delay by those who would derail this important initiative is unacceptable,” said New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

“Each day we wait to implement President Obama’s bold immigration reforms, millions of hard-working families remain in legal limbo. Immigrant communities built New York City, and they are the heart and soul of urban centers across our country,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “As Congress and federal courts stall meaningful progress on immigration, New York City will continue to lead the nation.”   

As part of Cities United for Immigration Action, Mayors de Blasio and Garcetti led the effort to organize more than 70 cities and counties, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in arguing that the national public interest is served clearly and overwhelmingly by implementing immigration relief by executive action without delay. Today’s brief more than doubles the number of local governments that had previously voiced opposition to the lawsuit brought by states seeking to block President Obama’s immigration reform efforts.

The brief also argues that the District Court judge’s decision to block executive action with a preliminary injunction is bad for the economy, hurts families, threatens law enforcement priorities, and will stall desperately needed changes to the federal government’s immigration policies.

The de Blasio Administration has a proven track record of spearheading initiatives that integrate immigrants into the civic and economic life of New York City. From the IDNYC municipal identification program to increasing access to federal immigration benefits, New York City is committed to championing pro-immigrant policies that promote equity and create opportunity for all residents.

This collective action to offer the Court the crucial perspective of American cities and counties is an outcome of the organizing efforts of the Cities United for Immigration Action coalition. By filing this brief, America’s mayors and county leaders are making a strong statement in support of the President’s plan to grant administrative relief to over four million undocumented children and adults.
   
Numerous cities and counties signed on to today’s brief are located in states that brought the lawsuit against the Obama administration or have otherwise indicated support for the lawsuit, including five cities in Texas, six localities in New Jersey, two counties in Arizona, and three municipalities in Wisconsin. Cities and counties signed on to the brief (in formation) include the following local governments:

Alexandria, VA
Allentown, PA
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Bell, CA
Boston, MA
Bridgeport, CT
Buffalo, NY
Cambridge, MA               
Central Falls, RI
Chapel Hill, NC
Charleston, SC
Chicago, IL
Coconino County, AZ
Columbia, SC
Columbus, OH
Dallas County, TX
Dayton, OH
Denver, CO
Dolton, IL
El Paso County, TX
Everett, MA
Gary, IN
Haledon, NJ
Hartford, CT
Highland Park, IL
Hoboken, NJ
Holyoke, MA
Houston, TX
Jersey City, NJ
Kansas City, MO
Little Rock, AR
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County, CA
Lucas County, OH
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Montgomery County, MD
Newark, NJ
New York, NY
Niagara Falls, NY
North Miami, FL
Oakland, CA
Paterson, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Plainfield, NJ
Portland, OR
Providence, RI
Racine, WI
Ramsey County, MN
Rochester, NY
Salt Lake City, UT
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Santa Cruz County, AZ
Santa Fe, NM
Santa Monica, CA
Schenectady, NY
Seattle, WA
Skokie, IL
St. Louis, MO
State College, PA
Syracuse, NY
Tacoma, WA
Tampa, FL
Travis County, TX
Washington, D.C.
West Covina, CA
Yonkers, NY
National League of Cities
U.S. Conference of Mayors


“We stand with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s decision to file a ‘friend-of-the-court’ brief in support of President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “The President’s executive action currently being blocked in the courts hurts The Bronx and New York City, with the borough losing out on potential local tax revenues that would be generated by these hard-working immigrants who just want to come out the shadows and positively contribute to our country. We are the land of opportunity, built on the ideal that we are melting pot that promotes equality for all and we must continue to strive for those ideals that make our country great.”

C.I.M.S High School Art Show























On behalf of the Collegiate Institute For Math & Science - Columbus Campus,  please see above for an invitation to their Art Showcase on April 15th, from 5-7pm.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Time to Fix Up the West 235th Street Pedestrian Overpass



  While grouting may be gone from several stones, the real danger is to the upper left of the photo where the support of the steel beams has been compromised on this Henry Hudson Parkway pedestrian overpass at West 235th Street.  


  This photo is of the corner of the overpass that leads across the HHP. A different section from the first photo.















Left - and Right are the path and lower steps of the west side entrance to the overpass.














Left and Right crumbling and broken steps can be seen, even after having been repaired before.





Left - More steps.
Right - One can trip on this piece of metal curb striping that sticks out on the West exit.



Above and below are photos of the underneath of sections of the East side of the overpass.


The Changing face of Johnson Avenue



 While the Radio Shack located at 3544 Johnson Avenue has closed it adds another empty store to the avenue.



However - Above replacing the closed (for several years) Golden Gate Restaurant is a new European Wax Center will soon open at 3550 Johnson Avenue next to the old Radio Shack..
Below - And on the other side of the old Radio Shack a new restaurant called Moss Cafe will soon open at 3534 Johnson Avenue.


Chancellor Carmen Farina Comes to District 10 - Or Did She?




  The notices that went out said that the District 10 Community Education Council presents a Town Hall meeting with Chancellor Carmen Farina. The town hall meeting with Chancellor Farina was scheduled for Wednesday April 1st from 6:30 - 7:30 PM at PS 86 located at Reservoir Avenue and West 195th Street. In bold letters were 'ALL DISTRICT 10 PARENTS ARE URGED TO ATTEND'.  The photo above was taken at 6:30 PM when the meeting was to begin. About 100 staff from district 10 schools, the chancellors office, children, their parents, and security officers were in attendance. I was told that every parent in the district was given a notice, and some even received calls to attend.  


  At 7PM you can see only 4 of the 9 CEC members and no chancellor on the dias. It was then announced that the chancellor would be a little late. At 7:15 PM attendees were told the chancellor was stuck in traffic on the West Side Highway and that people could leave if they wanted. As several did just so, I followed suit by leaving and not wanting to wait any longer because I had another event to go to which I did not want to miss. 

  I was however able to read a handout on the table giving the results of the past years test scores. As a former Parent leader in District 10 years ago I was shocked to see that the scores were lower than 10 years ago when District 10 was a District in Need of Improvement. English scores were at 16.8 percent down almost 8 points, while math scores were 21.9 percent down over 10 points. When I asked the current District 10 Superintendent (who was on hand) Melodie Mashel why the scores have gone down so, her answer was 'the test is harder now'. The current standards were suppose to be instituted 10 years ago, because I was a member of the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council when the presentation was given. The city received a waiver for the past 10 years, but now it seems that those 10 year old standards can not even be met today.