Governor Hochul and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Announce 50 Percent Fare Reduction for AirTrain JFK to Encourage Use of Public Transit During Peak Summer Construction Activity at JF

Summer Travel Forecast To Exceed 18 Million Passengers at JFK, a New Record and 700,000 More Than Last Year, as Construction of New Airport is Fully Underway

Starting July 1, AirTrain JFK Single Ride Fare To Be Reduced to $4.25 Through Labor Day as Governor Encourages Airport Access via Subway or LIRR From New York City, Hudson Valley or Long Island

Port Authority Urges Travelers To Visit Construction.JFKAirport.com for Latest Construction Updates and Travel Advisories Before Heading to JFK

Governor Kathy Hochul and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey announced that the AirTrain JFK single ride fare will be reduced by 50 percent starting July 1 through Labor Day to encourage the use of public transit when accessing John F. Kennedy International Airport. A record number of travelers will take to the sky while the airport’s $19 billion transformation project, including an entirely new roadway network, reaches peak construction activity this summer.

“With transformational construction underway at JFK, we’re taking steps to mitigate travel delays and affirm what’s always been true – there’s no better option than taking the train to the plane,” Governor Hochul said. “As we kick off a busy summer, we’re making it more affordable for travelers to utilize the AirTrain, offering New Yorkers and visitors from around the world the best-in-class travel experience they deserve.”

The $4.25 AirTrain JFK fare applies at both the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations, the two off-airport stations that require payment via OMNY or MetroCard. Jamaica is just 20 minutes from Grand Central Madison, Penn Station, or Atlantic Terminal via Long Island Rail Road, and easily accessible from Long Island. Easy subway connections are also available at the Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport and Howard Beach subway stations via the A/E/J/Z lines.

For travelers who must take a car to the airport, the Port Authority opened a drop-off / pick-up lot at the on-airport AirTrain JFK Lefferts Blvd station, which is a free direct 8-minute AirTrain ride to the airport terminals to help passengers avoid heavy congestion on terminal frontages. Parking at the airport will be extremely limited, and passengers planning to park should pre-book at JFKAirport.com in order to guarantee a spot.

Transforming JFK Into a World-Class Global Gateway

In January 2017, the JFK Vision Plan was announced to transform JFK into the world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve. The vision plan provides a strategic framework for the Port Authority and its partners to completely redevelop, modify and expand existing facilities and infrastructure. The $9.5 billion development of a state-of-the-art new Terminal One that will anchor the airport's south side broke ground in September 2022. A new $4.2 billion Terminal 6, which will connect seamlessly with Terminal 5 to create an anchor terminal on the airport’s north side, broke ground in February 2023. The $1.5 billion expansion of Terminal 4, led by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT), is substantially complete. Additionally, the $400 million expansion of Terminal 8, led by American Airlines, which operates the terminal, was completed in November 2022.

All of the privately financed terminal projects combined with the Port Authority's roadway, parking and infrastructure projects represent a $19 billion transformation of JFK and an extraordinary series of public-private partnerships. The Port Authority’s capital investment of $3.9 billion is leveraging private investment at a rate of nearly four to one when taking into account the full private investment of more than $15 billion that has been committed to the four projects comprising the full redevelopment of JFK.

D.A. Bragg Announces Indictment Against Postal Worker And Her Partner For Stealing And Selling Checks And Credit Cards From The Mail

 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the indictment of postal worker DESTINY ANDERSON, 35, and her partner, ANTHONY JOHNSON, 34, for stealing credit cards and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of checks from the mail. As alleged, the defendants would either sell the stolen credit cards and checks to other individuals or use them for personal benefit.  ANDERSON, who was a United States Postal Service employee (USPS) stationed in Midtown, is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and one count of Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree. JOHNSON is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, three counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, one count of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, and one count of Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree. [1] 

“We allege Destiny Anderson and Anthony Johnson brazenly stole checks and credit cards from the mail for their own personal gain. This type of conduct can be extremely harmful to the many Manhattanites who depend on reliable mail service for their paychecks or other important financial documents,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Public employees who take advantage of their jobs at the expense of others will be held accountable. I thank the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their partnership in this investigation.” 

Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office said “The Special Agents of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General will continue to maintain the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and its personnel. The conduct alleged is disgraceful, and our office will continue to vigorously investigate Postal Service employees and their co-conspirators who violate the public’s trust. This case serves as an excellent example of the successful collaboration between the USPS OIG, our law enforcement partners and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to pursue and prosecute Postal Service employees involved in criminal activity. The USPS OIG is thankful for the relationships with our law enforcement partners and the District Attorney’s Office for their dedication and efforts in this investigation.” 

“It is always disheartening when the theft of U.S. Mail and identity theft is committed, especially when these alleged crimes are committed by someone that betrays the trust of the American public and blatantly disregards their duty to reliably deliver our customers’ mail. Through initiatives like Project Safe Delivery, postal inspectors are committed to improving the safety of our employees and the security of the mail. I commend the investigative efforts of our postal inspectors, the USPS-Office of the Inspector General and the NYPD who worked together with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to put an end to this spree of financial crimes,” said USPIS New York Division Inspector in Charge Daniel B. Brubaker. 

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, JOHNSON and ANDERSON operated their scheme between May 14, 2021, and March 10, 2022. 

ANDERSON was a United States Postal Service employee stationed at 322 West 52nd Street, also known as the “Radio City Post Office”, which is the only post office servicing the mailing 10019 zip code. 

ANDERSON’s responsibilities included sorting mail and acting as a mail “relay” truck driver transporting bags of mail to designated locations within the 10019 zip code. 

ANDERSON would allegedly identify and take envelopes containing credit cards or checks. One check was in the amount of over $387,000, and another was for $21,500. She did this in coordination with JOHNSON who would often encourage and direct ANDERSON to steal the envelopes. 

Once the credit cards or checks were obtained, ANDERSON and JOHNSON would use them for their personal benefit or sell and attempt to sell them to other individuals, including through Instagram. The defendants would then be repaid through Zelle or CashApp. They used the stolen credit cards to purchase items at Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, B&H Photo, BJ’s Wholesale, and Duane Reade. 

Assistant D.A.s Benjamin Reed (Financial Frauds Bureau) and Alexander Sanyshyn (Financial Frauds Bureau) are handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Kelly Thomas (Deputy Bureau Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Hope Korenstein (Deputy Bureau Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), Kofi Sansculotte (Bureau Chief of the Financial Frauds Bureau), and Jodie Kane (Chief of the Rackets Bureau and Acting Chief of the Investigation Division). Investigative Analyst Jade Yang and Paralegal Leila Mohamed are providing valuable assistance. Former Paralegal Krisellie Acevedo also provided valuable assistance. 

D.A. Bragg thanked the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service for their partnership in this investigation. 

Fugitive Indicted for Murder of 15-Year-Old in Bensonhurst Extradited from Panama to Face Prosecution

 

Defendant Allegedly Shot the Victim in Broad Daylight After Dispute Among Teens

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that a fugitive who fled to Panama after allegedly shooting a teenager in Bensonhurst last summer has been returned to Brooklyn to faces charges in the boy’s death.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant was returned to Brooklyn from Panama and will now be brought to justice for allegedly killing Faridun Mavlonov, who was just 15 years old and had his whole life ahead of him. Hopefully this prosecution will bring some solace to Faridun’s heartbroken family and friends.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Leopoldo Nash Montoya, 18, formerly of Brooklyn. The defendant was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Craig S. Walker on an indictment in which he is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, first-degree attempted gang assault, and third-degree assault. He was ordered held without bail and to return to court on July 3, 2024. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on July 12, 2023, in the vicinity of 20th Avenue and 60th Street, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the defendant, acting in concert with others, punched and kicked a 16-year-old boy about the head and body, causing physical injuries.

Furthermore, according to the evidence, on July 17, 2023, at approximately 1 p.m., in the vicinity of 20th Avenue and 62nd Street, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the defendant displayed a firearm and repeatedly discharged the firearm at the 16-year-old boy who was walking with a group of friends. The defendant struck one of the individuals in the group, Faridun Mavlonov, 15, who was rushed to a local hospital and died the following day of one gunshot wound to the torso, which perforated his heart.

Following an investigation, including a review of extensive video surveillance footage, the defendant was identified. He was arrested in Panama on June 5, 2024 and returned to Brooklyn.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

Professor Charged for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Grant Fraud Scheme

 

A federal grand jury in the District of Maryland returned an indictment charging a Pennsylvania man for defrauding the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) of approximately $16 million in federal grant funds.

According to court documents, Hoau-Yan Wang, 67, was a tenured medical professor at a public university’s medical school, as well as a paid advisor and consultant to a publicly traded Texas biopharmaceutical company. From approximately May 2015 through approximately April 2023, Wang allegedly engaged in a scheme to fabricate and falsify scientific data in grant applications made to the NIH on behalf of himself and the biopharmaceutical company. As alleged, the fraudulent grant applications to the NIH sought funding for scientific research of a potential treatment and diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease and resulted in the award of approximately $16 million in grants from approximately 2017 to 2021, part of which funded Wang’s laboratory work and salary. 

The indictment alleges that Wang’s work under these grants was related to the early developmental phases of the proposed drug and diagnostic test, typically referred to by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as Phase 1 and Phase 2. Wang’s alleged scientific data falsification in the NIH grant applications related to how the proposed drug and diagnostic test were intended to work and the improvement of certain indicators associated with Alzheimer’s disease after treatment with the proposed drug. 

Wang is charged with one count of major fraud against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of false statements. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the count of major fraud, 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, and five years in prison for the count of false statements.  

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Andrew Tyler, Deputy Chief Anna Kaminska, and Assistant Chief Leslie Garthwaite of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sixth Annual Bronx Yemini American Parade Huge Success Hundreds March

Friday June 28th was the Sixth Annual Yemini-American parade in the Little Yemen section of the Bronx. The parade kicked off at White Plains Road traveling across Rhinelander Avenue passing the Bronx Muslim Center to Bronxdale Avenue. The parade then turned right on Bronxdale traveling to Morris Park Avenue. When it arrived at Morris Park Avenue the parade turned right onto Morris Park Avenue traveling to Unionport Road where it turned onto Rhinelander Avenue back to its end at White Plains Road.

The crowd of marchers was estimated to be at around two-hundred people by the Community Affairs officers of the 49th Precinct who along with help from other nearby precinct escorted the marchers through the neighborhood streets. The marchers then went into the mosque to listen to speeches and watch as local muslim leaders received awards from Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato and Assemblyman John Zaccaro. 

The sixth annual Yemini-American parade begins. The building going up in the background is the new Mosque which will be able to hold the growing Yemini-American community.

Marchers raise their Yemini-American flags as they pass the Bronx Muslim Center.

The Ass

ociation of Yemini-American Businesses marched in the parade.

Coming back across Morris Park Avenue to White Plains Road where the parade began.

Detective Kandice Hall of the 49th Precinct Community Affairs Division led the parade in the new electric police car of the 49th Precinct. 

Little Yemen community leader Yahay Obeid welcomes all to the Mosque. 

It was standing room only inside the mosque.

The singing of both the Yemen and American National Anthems.

Various community leaders received awards from Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato and Assemblyman John Zaccaro, held up by Mr. Yahay Obeid.

New York City Council Adopts the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget

Budget restores and invest over $1 billion for full library service, cultural institutions, education programs, and parks; advances comprehensive plan and funding to fix early childhood education system; and adds $2 billion to create and preserve more affordable homes 

Speaker Adrienne Adams, Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan, and Members of the New York City Council voted today to adopt the $112.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The FY 2025 budget restores and funds over $1 billion of the Council’s priorities following the Mayor’s Executive Budget, including for full library service, cultural institutions, school and student support programs, and a comprehensive plan to fund and fix the early childhood education (ECE) system. The ECE plan would provide funding to add seats and childcare vouchers for children without them, advance operational solutions to problems in the system that can fill vacant 3-K and Pre-K seats and strengthen it. The budget also secured the addition of $2 billion in capital funding over the next two years to support the creation and preservation of more affordable housing.  

The FY 2025 budget underscores the Council’s commitment to securing key restorations to preserve essential services that New Yorkers rely on and that allow for a safe and healthy City. The Council and the Administration were able to deliver a budget that preserves many critical programs and makes key investments, including replacing hundreds of millions of dollars in expiring federal stimulus funds.

“The Council is proud to adopt a city budget that restores and invests funding in New Yorkers’ priorities and the services that advance a healthier and safer city,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “These investments in affordable housing and homeownership, early childhood education and CUNY, libraries and cultural institutions, parks and sanitation, senior services and youth programs, mental health and public safety programs support our residents in every community. Despite the challenges, the Council has never wavered from our commitment to investing in solutions, and we will continue to push the City to meet the scale of our challenges. I thank my colleagues in the Council for our collective work to secure the resources our communities deserve and deliver on the priorities of New Yorkers.”

“Reports of New York City’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. But making sure New York City remains the Capital of the World is hard work and doesn’t happen on its own. That’s why what we invest in for the next 12 months matters,” said Council Member Justin Brannan, Chair of the Committee on Finance. “The city budget is arguably the most important document we produce every year. More than simply a financial plan and a list of expenditures, it is our city’s statement of values. It shows the rest of the world what the greatest city on the planet cares about. All throughout this year’s budget process, the Council was laser-focused on our shared priorities and confidence that we had the revenue needed to restore harmful cuts. Indeed, New York City’s post-pandemic economy has proved durable and resilient, buoyed by working and middle class New Yorkers – the very people we must invest in now. With an additional $2 billion secured through negotiations since the first draft, the FY25 adopted budget delivers on everything from early childhood education, our libraries, arts & cultural institutions to further addressing our city’s housing crisis, making investments in mental health programs and expanding Fair Fares so New Yorkers struggling to get by won’t need to choose between a MetroCard and a meal. This is a budget worthy of New Yorkers’ support.”

The Council was successful in securing restorations and investments of many priorities in a balanced FY 2025 budget, because of higher revenue projections and available resources that are consistent with the Council’s Executive Budget forecast. The FY 2025 budget also secures 65 Terms & Conditions and 11 Units of Appropriations to improve transparency of agency programs and functions.

Highlights of Council priorities added to the FY 2025 budget through negotiations include:

Increasing Budget Accountability and Transparency

Units of Appropriation:

The FY 2025 budget adopted 11 new Units of Appropriation (U/A) that were prioritized by the Council, including:

• One (1) in the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) – Promise NYC
• One (1) in the Department for the Aging (DFTA) – Home Delivery Meals
• One (1) in the Department of Corrections (DOC) – Training
• Two (2) in the Department of Education (DOE) – Division of Instructional and Information Technology
• Two (2) in the Department of Parks and Recreation – Parks Enforcement Patrol
• Four (4) in the New York Police Department – Chief of Department, Detective Bureau

The FY 2025 budget also takes steps to increase budget transparency by aligning 4 existing units of appropriation with agency functions. This is an important step in recognizing that units of appropriation are intended to be the building blocks of agency budgets and that they support distinct agency functions.

Terms and Conditions:

The FY 2025 budget adopted a record 65 Terms and Conditions, requirements that advance budget transparency. They include expanding the FY24 budget reporting on asylum response efforts as well as new Terms and Conditions reporting on critical issues such as:

• Early Childhood Education
• Carter Cases
• NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG) deployment
• Unlicensed cannabis summonses and fines
• DYCD Crisis Management Systems (CMS) programs

A Strong Foundation for Housing New Yorkers

• $2 billion in new capital investments for affordable housing creation and preservation through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and NYCHA
• Full $6.8 million restoration for security guards at NYCHA senior buildings
• $4.2 million to support Department of City Planning PEG reversal and capital funding to enable neighborhood rezonings

Investments & Solutions to Fix Early Childhood Education System – $293 million

• The city’s early childhood education system has faced many operational challenges that have left the system underserving families. Its 3-K and Pre-K programs have recently consisted of thousands of vacant seats, while many families who apply do not receive seats, demonstrating an ineffective management of the resources to reach children and families. There has been insufficient outreach and marketing to ensure families are aware of their ECE options, pay disparities for staff at community-based organization (CBO) providers, overdue contract payments to CBO providers, and insufficient enrollment and contracting flexibility that allows programs to meet families’ needs.
• The Council recognized the need to secure funding for the early childhood education system that was missing in the Mayor’s Executive Budget and to negotiate for a comprehensive approach to fix the system’s challenges that leave it underutilized and some families without access.    
• To effectively tackle current deficiencies in the early childhood education system, the Council reached a comprehensive agreement to immediately fund seats for families still awaiting 3-K placements or on waiting lists for preschool special education, and to implement other reforms that address problems in the system so families can access seats. These include:
  • 3-K and Pre-K Seats: $112 million – $92 million to replace expiring federal stimulus funds and $20 million to add seats to ensure placements for families who did not receive placements for next school year;
  • Extended Day/Extended Year Seats: $40 million to convert over 4,000 school-day/school-year seats to full-day/full-year seats ($15 million baselined in FY 24 plus $25 million added in new funding at adoption);
  • Marketing and Outreach: Added $5 million to reestablish expanded marketing and outreach efforts for 3-K that make families aware of their ECE options, so the number of applications for seats no longer falls short of the number of budgeted seats;
  • Pre-School Special Education: Added $111 million, including $55 million to add seats and services for children on the waitlist;
  • Promise NYC Program: Added $25 million to maintain and expand access to the only childcare program for undocumented families that are ineligible for other programs.
• The agreement also establishes a working group to enact reforms that can fix and strengthen the ECE system for expansion and universal utilization by working on solutions to: fill vacant seats; ensure the geographic location and types of seats meet families’ needs and reach their children; and improve the enrollment process, outreach, and on-time provider payments. The Council’s goal is to increase utilization, solve operational challenges, and advance the system towards true universal access based on enrollment rather than simply budgeted seats.

Schools and Student Support Programs – $400.2 million

• Holding School Budgets Harmless: $75 million
• Summer Rising Restoration: $19.6 million
• School Food Staffing: $20 million
• Teacher Recruitment: $10 million
• Full restoration of funding for Community Schools: $70 million, including $56 million in the Executive Budget and $14 million at Adoption
• School Based Social Workers, School Psychologists, Family Workers Stimulus Cliff Restorations: $74 million
• Learning to Work: $31 million
• Ensuring placement of Certified Art Teachers in schools ($41 million) and Arts Education ($4 million)
• Shelter-Based Community Coordinators for Students in Temporary Housing: $17 million restoration
• Restorative Justice: $12 million restoration
• Mental Health Continuum: $5 million restoration
• Digital Learning, Computer for All, Tutoring, Civics for All, Parent and Immigrant Family Engagement, Outward Bound Crew Model: $21.6 million

City University of New York Programs & System – $64.2 million

• Operational Support Restoration: $15 million
• CUNY Reconnect: $5.9 million
• CUNY Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE): $10.1 million total ($1 million as outlined in the Executive Budget, and an additional $9.1 million at adoption
• CUNY ASAP for All: $4.5 million
• CUNY Social Work Fellows: $500,000

Health and Community Safety – $65.1 million

• Recidivism Reduction and Reentry Programs Restoration: $14.8 million
• Jail Population Review Teams: $10 million
• Civilian Complaint Review Board Baselined Enhancement: $2.1 million
• Justice Involved Supportive Housing: $6.4 million
• Trauma Recovery Centers Enhancement: $4.8 million
• Mental Health Clubhouses: $2 million
• Capital Funding for New Trauma Center in the Rockaways: $25 million
• HIV/AIDS Services Baselined Restoration: $5.4 million
• Community-Based Solutions for Violence Interruption: $8.6 million

Institutional Pillars of NYC Neighborhoods – $173.8 million

• $60.6 million full restoration of cultural institutions funding with $7.6 million restoration in Executive Budget and $53 million restored ($13 million baselined) at adoption
• $58.3 million to fully restore library funding, with $42.6 million baselined, for full service that is no longer repeatedly at risk year-to-year in future budgets
• Sanitation Litter Basket Pickup: $25 million restoration and enhancement
• $6.2 million restoration of Community Composting Program
• $15 million to enhance and restore funding for Second Shift maintenance and cleaning positions at hot spots in city parks
• Restoring $8.7 million to support Urban Park Rangers, Tree Stump Removal, and Green Thumb Restoration

Opportunity Programs and Essential Services – $1.428 billion

• Expanding Fair Fares to More Low-Income New Yorkers: $10.7 million to increase eligibility from 120% to 145% of the Federal Poverty Level, and an additional $2 million dedicated to outreach and education to increase utilization
• Restoration of Community Food Connection Program: $31.9 million
• Immigration Legal Services Enhancement Restoration: $4.4 million
• CityFHEPS: $614.9 million, with $540.3 million baselined beginning in FY26
• Restoration of Adult Literacy Programs: $10 million
• Community Interpreter Bank and Language Services Worker Cooperatives Restoration: $3.8 million
• Human Services Workers Cost of Living Adjustments: $740.6 million over four years
• Shelter to Housing Action Plan: $10.1 million
• Runaway and Homeless Youth Housing Navigators: $1.6 million

As Congestion Pricing Deadline Passes, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander & Columbia Law Professor Michael Gerrard Discuss Steps Toward Litigation

 

On June 30th, the planned implementation date of congestion pricing in New York City pursuant to the Traffic Mobility & MTA Reform Act of 2019, adopted by the Legislature and signed by the then-Governor, which remains legally in-effect, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Professor Michael Gerrard of Columbia Law School issued the following statements about the impact of the Governor’s last-minute decision to pause the policy, as well as the path forward toward litigation:

“Subway and bus riders are the bread and butter of our city’s working class and the whole region’s economy. Today should have been the day they had confidence in investments for new signals, on-time trains, accessible stations, and expanded service. Instead, as a result of the Governor’s eleventh-hour, unlawful decision to indefinitely postpone the legally-mandated congestion pricing program, working New Yorkers will face preventable subway delays, worsening gridlock, air quality alerts, and even MTA service cuts,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “The capital improvements funded by congestion pricing would have finally delivered high-quality service to outer borough neighborhoods that are too-often left behind. As the MTA Board made clear: halting congestion pricing means no Second Avenue Subway extension to Harlem, no Interborough Express, no elevators or accessibility improvements at numerous stations that were promised–and according to a new study, this decision could cost the City over 100,000 jobs. We have convened a coalition of legal experts–led by Michael Gerrard, one of the nation’s foremost environmental lawyers–along with transit riders, disability justice advocates, business leaders, and other stakeholders to explore all possible legal paths to challenge the governor’s unlawful decision.”

“Today would have been the start of a new New York City–one with faster and more frequent subway trains and buses, cleaner air, lower levels of traffic, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” said Columbia Law Professor Michael Gerrard. “The MTA Board’s June 26 resolution makes clear that the agency is prepared to enact congestion pricing, and the State is solely responsible for the ongoing pause, which potentially violates multiple state and federal statutes. Legal action provides an opportunity to get New York City and its transit system back on track. Our coalition–composed of experts in environmental, disability, and administrative law–will make further announcements on litigation in the coming weeks.”

Governor Hochul marches in the NYC Pride Parade

 

Hochul: “Just Friday, with President Biden, we opened a place that is an enormous part of our pride, and that is the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center… We also had a bill signing ceremony where I signed into law the renaming of the Christopher Street subway stop so everyone knows what's there: It's the Christopher Street Stonewall National Monument stop. We also signed into law four pieces of legislation that recognize there are still people among us suffering from AIDS and HIV, and making sure that they have the compassionate care they need, that they're not forgotten… and we’re not done. We're just getting started.”

Happy Pride, everyone! For 55 years, New Yorkers have proudly carried the banner that says, “This is the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ movement.” And today, we continue pushing forward, recognizing the contributions from those individuals who stood up against the tides of their time, who said that “We have rights. We have rights to gather, to socialize, to dance, and to love who we want to love.”

And so, to continue the celebration, first of all — just Friday, with President Biden, we opened a place that is an enormous part of our pride, and that is the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center. Welcome, all! On Friday, we also had a bill signing ceremony where I signed into law the renaming of the Christopher Street subway stop so everyone knows what's there: It's the Christopher Street Stonewall National Monument stop.

We also signed into law four pieces of legislation that recognize there are still people among us suffering from AIDS and HIV, and making sure that they have the compassionate care they need, that they're not forgotten. So, we signed those into law just a couple of days ago as well. So, let's give that a round of applause.

But also, we’re not done. We're just getting started. I want to recognize that I have some friends up in Harlem who are working very hard for Harlem to have the very first ever LGBTQ center, where people can get culturally competent medical care, socialization, mental health services, medical services — whatever they need, they'll be able to find that, and we are very proud to present this check to Carmen Neely. Carmen, come on up, girl. Carmen, how much does that say? $4.4 million. Good job.

And while we're here honoring the heroes of this movement, the trailblazing individuals who've redefined not just our LGBTQ+ community and all it can do, but also a religious leader who has led a synagogue through some of the most difficult times, certainly in the last couple years, that we've ever endured. I want to give a special shout out to a dear, dear friend of all of ours, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, on her retirement. 32 years of service. Somebody carry that for her, she's not doing it.

And lastly, our Department of Labor is here. Commissioner Roberta Reardon, who also is making sure that we have $1 million to help place people in the LGBTQ — especially the trans community — who are having more challenges getting jobs. I want to give her a special shout out. Ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner Reardon. $1 million for that effort.

So, let's go forth. Let's march with pride. Let's march with love. Let's march with love. This is what we are as New Yorkers. Happy Pride, everybody!