Housing Lottery Launches For 60 Units At The Arches In Mott Haven, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for The Arches, a pair of 25-story residential buildings at 228 East 135th Street in Mott Haven, The Bronx. Designed by Fischer + MakooiArchitect and developed by The Chess Builders, the structure yields 430 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 60 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $72,000 to $167,570.

Residents will have access to a wide range of amenities including assigned parking, shared laundry room, yoga and dance studio, media room, business center, children’s playroom, a doorman, and a landscaped roof garden. Units include name-brand appliances and finishes, air conditioning, and hardwood floors.

At 130 percent of the AMI, there is one studio with a monthly rent of $2,100 for incomes ranging from $72,000 to $124,150; 25 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,221 for incomes ranging from $76,149 to $139,620; and 34 two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,705 for incomes ranging from $92,743 to $167,570.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than August 19, 2021.

NY Lottery Announces Take 5 Game to Be Drawn Twice Daily

 

More drawings mean more chances for New Yorkers to win

 Starting Monday, July 26, New Yorkers will be able to play the popular Take 5 game twice daily. The new draw time at 2:30 p.m. aligns Take 5 with Numbers and Win4, which already draw twice daily. Sales for the newly-added mid-day drawing will close at 2:15 p.m. The daily drawing at 10:30 p.m. will continue as currently scheduled. 

“Take 5 created more than 2.5 million cash prize winners last fiscal year. The added drawing for this popular game will give New York players more chances to win,” said NY Lottery Executive Director Gweneth Dean.

Take 5 is played by selecting five numbers from 1-39. Prizes are paid on a pari-mutuel basis. Money in the prize pool is allocated by percentage to prize tiers and distributed based on the number of winners for each tier. If there is no top prize winner, the top prize money is added to the second prize. The overall odds of winning any prize is 1 in 8.77. Complete prize and odds information is available on the Lottery’s web site at nylottery.ny.gov.

Over the last three fiscal years, New York’s Take 5 game has generated more than $325 million in Lottery Aid to Education and produced more than eight million cash prize winners.

Council Member Ruben Diaz Sr. - HISPANICS RELEGATED POLITICALLY TO NOTHING

 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz

18 District, Bronx

HISPANICS RELEGATED POLITICALLY TO NOTHING

You should know that during the past primaries the political power of the Hispanic Community was relegated to nothing, while the African Americans enveloped everything.

 

You should know that the Hispanic population has grown, with a large enough population to have obtained a citywide and statewide political office. It is unfortunate though, that we, the Latino Community, have never been able to achieve statewide and citywide high level elected positions. The Hispanic people have always been there and used as a political springboard for other groups, but unfortunately that springboard has not, reciprocally, sprung in the Hispanics direction.  

 

According to an article written by Mr. Leonard Greene, published in the Daily News on Sunday, July 18, stated that the political power of African Americans has practically come to control and have acquired most political elected positions in New York.  

 

In New York State, African Americans control three high level political, powerful positions, that of New York State Attorney General, State Assembly Majority Leader, and the Senate Majority Leader.

 

Following these primaries African-Americans’ are shaping up to practically control most of the relevant elected citywide seats, the Mayor's Office, Ombudsman, City Council Majority Leader, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn Borough Presidents, and many other City Council positions, Congressional seats, Senators, Assembly members, and even President/ Chairmanship of the Democratic Party in the Boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.

 

On the contrary, the Hispanic Community has been left with the dogs tail; since we have never been able to obtain the unity and solid support of the other ethnic groups to have obtained citywide and statewide positions such as mayor, Comptroller or Ombudsman. Even the Asian Community, having a much smaller population than that of the Hispanics have obtained the citywide position of comptroller in the past.

 

 

When and who will be the Latino that in the future will rise up with the unified support of all and acquire the mayor's office? We do not know! But we do know that whoever that individual may be, it cannot be one of those opportunists, and traitors who have allowed themselves to be used by others to divide the Hispanic community leaving it politically bankrupt. 

 

These individuals are the reason why Hispanics have (Politically) been relegated to nothing while other groups take the cake and leave us the crumbs.

 

I am Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.

 

Team AOC - A no-go

 

Alexandria and her progressive colleagues in the House have a plan.

On Friday, Alexandria vowed that she and her colleagues including Reps. Jayapal, Pressley, Tlaib, and Lee would withhold their votes on the bipartisan infrastructure bill unless a budget bill that includes climate measures, child care, and immigration reform passes at the same time.

This is a bold move, but it is what’s required to pass a budget bill that actually meets the level of crisis we’re in. It’s exactly what Alexandria was elected to do and another example why we need her in Congress.

To catch you up: President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal cut out major Democratic priorities, including measures on climate, eldercare, affordable housing, and much more.

But Democrats have an opportunity to use a rule known as ‘reconciliation’ to pass policies cut out of the infrastructure bill with a simple majority. We cannot waste it. That’s why Alexandria is demanding that our priorities make it in the reconciliation bill – or else no infrastructure bill.

Alexandria has been very clear: People across this country elected Democratic majorities in both branches of government and a Democrat to the White House. Republicans are not in charge of dictating what policies we pass and what policies we don’t.

It’s up to Congress to deliver on the priorities that voters elected them to fight for – not the lowest common denominator. That’s what Alexandria is laser-focused on.

Pa’lante,

Team AOC

Congressman Adriano Espaillat - Leads 50+ Colleagues in Letter Urging State Dept. to Reduce Unprecedented Passport Backlog

 

Amid confusion, bad actors creating passport “black market” costing Americans hundreds, keeping families apart  Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) led 51 of his colleagues in a letter urging Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Consular Affairs Ian G. Brownlee to immediately address the unprecedented passport backlog plaguing Americans around the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, rendering countless Americans unable to obtain passports with wait times ballooning to upwards of 20 weeks. “During the height of the pandemic, people were deeply concerned about losing jobs, housing and loved ones. After 15 months of isolation, people looked forward to travelling internationally to attend postponed weddings and events, reconnect with family members in other countries, and study abroad. Unfortunately, for many, obtaining a passport has been rendered almost impossible due to staffing issues at State Department Passport Agencies and an overwhelming yet foreseeable spike in demand,” the members stated in their letter. “Given this foreseeable trend, it is unclear why more than a year later there was not more forethought put into the inevitable wave of passport applications as travel restrictions eased and the world opened back up. As a result of this backlog, our district offices have been receiving hundreds of calls and casework requests per week, and they have been told the current processing time is upwards of 20 weeks, nearly five times as long as the usual wait time. Even emergency appointments have been impossible to arrange in some of the most dire circumstances,” the members continued. The constituents that come to our office are desperate, and in many cases, poised to lose hundreds of dollars on unused plane tickets and hotel reservations or miss important family events like weddings and funerals. Because our offices are unable to receive reliable updates, we are unable to assuage our constituents’ concerns,” the members added. “In all this confusion and desperation, bad actors have obtained sought-after passport appointments and are auctioning them off on social media. We have heard of constituents so desperate for appointments that they have paid upward of $200 to obtain one. This shortage is creating a black market and we have heard reports that State Department Passport Agencies are allowing appointments that do not match scheduled names […] We urge you to reexamine your plan to reopen, adequately staff and supply Passport Agencies, and provide a timeline for reducing this outrageous backlog,” the members concluded. A full, signed copy of the letter is available here. The letter was signed by 51 other Members of Congress, including: Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Rosa DeLauro, Dina Titus, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Bill Johnson, Jared Huffman, Thomas Suozzi, James McGovern, Jerrold Nadler, Joaquin Castro, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Ed Perlmutter, Bobby Rush, Marie Newman, Ted Lieu, Susan Wild, Jackie Speier, Tim Ryan, Albio Sires, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Joyce Beatty, Grace Meng, Bill Foster, Ritchie Torres, Eric Swalwell, Dwight Evans, John Larson, Lizzie Fletcher, Steven Palazzo, Mike Doyle. James Himes, Jahana Hayes, David Price, John Yarmuth, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Norma Torres, Teresa Fernández, Mark DeSaulnier, Chrissy Houlahan, Charlie Crist, David Cicilline, Tony Cárdenas, Jan Schakowsky, Katherine Clark, Grace Napolitano, Mondaire Jones, Gerald Connolly, Julia Brownley, Jimmy Gomez, and Pramila Jayapal.

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNAPOLI: CHATHAM POLICE CHIEF SENTENCED FOR PENSION DOUBLE-DIPPING

 

 Former Village of Chatham Chief of Police Peter Volkmann was sentenced to pay $92,829 in restitution and perform 200 hours of community service today for defrauding the New York State pension system by concealing his unlawful post-retirement public income and for stealing from the village through sham requests for reimbursement. His fraud was discovered during a joint investigation by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka, and the New York State Police.

“No one is above law, including Volkmann who, as the chief law enforcement officer of the village, not only defrauded the state retirement system but also stole from his community,” said DiNapoli. “I thank District Attorney Paul Czajka and the New York State Police for their partnership in helping us bring justice to this case.” 

“Mr. Volkmann stole funds from the citizens he was sworn to protect and serve as police chief of the Village of Chatham," District Attorney Paul Czajka said. "In doing so, he undermined much of the good he did in helping and providing assistance to so many suffering from addiction. With his conviction before Judge Koweek, those funds were returned in full to the Village of Chatham and the New York State Retirement System. I thank and commend the New York State Police, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and their highly trained and proficient investigators for bringing this complex case to a successful resolution. With the assistance of the Comptroller and the State Police, we continue to investigate the Village’s finances, as well as that of another institution."  

“Our investigation determined that the suspect in this case violated the public trust by circumventing retirement laws and stealing from village funds,” said State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen. “We will continue to aggressively investigate any case that involves public corruption, and I want to commend our members and the Comptroller’s Office and Columbia County District Attorney’s Office for their partnership to ensure that justice was served.”

Columbia Court Judge Richard Koweek also sentenced Volkmann to two years of conditional discharge and ordered that 100 hours of the 200 in community service he was sentenced to be done by July 2022. As part of his plea deal, Volkmann paid a total amount of $92,829 in restitution before his sentencing.

Volkmann pleaded guilty in February to grand larceny in the fourth degree for circumventing New York state’s post-retirement income restrictions and cheating the New York State and Local Retirement System out of $74,222. Volkmann hid public-source income from 19 municipalities and school districts in excess of the statutory limit by funneling the earnings through a private business, PF Volkmann & Associates. He also pled to official misconduct, a misdemeanor, for stealing $18,607 from the Village of Chatham by falsifying mileage vouchers and other reimbursements to increase his income. As part of his plea deal, 

Volkmann, 57, of Stuyvesant, served as a Chief of Police for the town of Stockport until 2016. He was also the Chief of Police for the Village of Chatham since the fall of 2013 and he served as unpaid Commissioner of the Hudson Police Department from January 2020, until this investigation became public.

NYS Inspector General - NJ COUPLE PLEADS GUILTY FOR USING NY ADDRESS AND LYING ABOUT INCOME TO FRAUDULENTLY OBTAIN $39K IN WELFARE BENEFITS

 

 New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro today announced the guilty pleas of a New Jersey couple who lied about their income and residence to fraudulently obtain more than $39,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid benefits.

Carlos Monsanto, 41 and Angelina Reyes, 39, of Teaneck, NJ, pleaded guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court before Judge Charlotte Davidson. Reyes pleaded guilty to Welfare Fraud in the Fifth Degree (A misdemeanor). Monsanto pleaded guilty to Disorderly Conduct, a violation. As part of the plea, the couple paid full restitution of $39,378.

In January 2019, the Office of the Welfare Inspector General (OWIG) received a complaint alleging that Monsanto and Reyes have resided in New Jersey but failed to disclose their out-of-state residency and significant employment income to the New York City Human Resources Administration when applying for public assistance benefits. 

OWIG’s investigation found that Reyes and Monsanto were married in 2004 and listed a Bronx address as place of residence on their marriage certificate. Reyes and Monsanto divorced in 2008, but Reyes moved to Monsanto's home in Teaneck in 2018. A review of utility payments, a real estate purchase, SNAP purchase locations, vehicle lease addresses and material on Reyes’ Facebook page found that the pair indeed resided in Teaneck full time by August 2018. 

Despite this, between August 2018 to November 2020, Reyes submitted claims for SNAP and Medicaid assistance in New York State, falsely listing an apartment on 175th Street in Manhattan as her place of residence. Additionally, Reyes failed to list their actual income in applications/recertifications for benefits. OWIG’s investigation found that Reyes and Monsanto’s combined income in 2019 was more than $132,000. 

In total, Monsanto and Reyes received $39,378 in welfare benefits to which they were not entitled. 

“SNAP and Medicaid benefits are crucial lifelines for thousands of New Yorkers who are truly in need,” said Inspector General Tagliafierro. “When individuals take advantage of these safety nets for illegal personal gain, it is an affront to us all. I thank our partners at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this matter.” 

Inspector General Tagliafierro thanked the Manhattan District Attorney for conducting the arrest and prosecuting the case.

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic

 

22,627 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

3 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19.

"After over a year of containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now being told that COVID is now mainly a pandemic among the unvaccinated," Governor Cuomo said. "If you haven't already, I encourage you to get your shot to best protect yourself and your loved ones against the variants spreading through the nation."

 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

·         Test Results Reported - 69,665

·         Total Positive - 823
·         Percent Positive - 1.18%
·         7-Day Average Percent Positive - 1.26%
·         Patient Hospitalization - 378 (+26)
·         Patients Newly Admitted - 71
·         Patients in ICU - 79 (0)
·         Patients in ICU with Intubation - 30 (-2)
·         Total Discharges - 185,906 (+61)
·         Deaths - 3
·         Total Deaths - 43,034

·         Total vaccine doses administered - 21,812,432

·       Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 22,627

·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 235,134

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 71.1%

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 65.8%

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 73.9%

·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 67.4%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 59.3%

· Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 54.6%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 61.7%

·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 56.0%