Councilman Joe Borelli: "Kristy has made this one of the most competitive seats in the Council"
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Bronx Politics and Community events
Councilman Joe Borelli: "Kristy has made this one of the most competitive seats in the Council"
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Permits have been filed for a nine-story mixed-use building at 586 Gerard Avenue in Concourse Village, The Bronx. Located between East 150th and East 151st Streets, the lot is closest to the 161 Street-Yankee Stadium subway station, serviced by the B and D trains. The Karten Organization is listed as the owner behind the applications.
The proposed 90-foot-tall development will yield 147,178 square feet, with 142,602 square feet designated for residential space and 4,576 square feet for commercial space. The building will have 200 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 713 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar, a 30-foot-long rear yard, and 80 enclosed parking spaces.
Issac & Stern Architects is listed as the architect of record.
Demolition permits were filed in August 2021. An estimated completion date has not been announced.
The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for December 2022. Rates are calculated using methods prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The State’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month. To recap last week’s statewide press release, New York State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment held constant at 4.3% in December 2022.
The data in the preceding table are not seasonally adjusted, which means they reflect seasonal influences (e.g., holiday and summer hires). Therefore, the most valid comparisons with this type of data are year-to-year comparisons of the same month, for example, December 2021 versus December 2022. Labor force data for the current month are preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available the following month. Revised estimates for prior months are available at: https://dol.ny.gov/local-area-
Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the most up-to-date estimates of persons employed and unemployed by place of residence. Estimates are available for New York State, labor market regions, metropolitan areas, counties and municipalities with population of at least 25,000.
Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet
This fact sheet conveys important technical information that will contribute to a better understanding of labor force data (“household survey”), including resident employment/unemployment rates, and jobs by industry data (“business survey”), which are presented in the New York State Department of Labor’s monthly press release.
State Unemployment Rates Based on Regression Model
Beginning with data for January 1996, unemployment rates for New York State and all other states (as well as New York City and the City of Los Angeles) have been estimated using time-series regression statistical models developed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Advantage of Regression Model
Use of a time-series regression model reduces the month-to-month variation in unemployment rates and resident employment by reducing variation caused by sampling errors and other components of statistical noise (irregularities).
Benchmarking of Estimates
Once each year, labor force estimates, such as civilian labor force and the unemployment rate, are revised to reflect updated input data including new Census Bureau populations controls, newly revised establishment jobs data and new state-level annual average data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). As part of this procedure, all state figures are reviewed, revised as necessary and then re-estimated. This process is commonly referred to as “benchmarking.”
Changes in Methodology
Labor force estimates are now produced with an improved time-series regression model, which utilizes “real-time” benchmarking. “Real-time” benchmarking reduces end-of-year revisions, which also means that major economic events will be reflected in a more timely manner in state labor force estimates.
In addition, the new methodology includes an updated way of estimating for sub-state areas (e.g. counties, metro areas) the number of unemployed who are new entrants or re-entrants into the labor force. This change in methodology will result in lower unemployment rates in some areas and increased rates in others.
Unemployed and UI Beneficiaries
The estimate of the number of unemployed includes all persons who had no employment during the reference week (the week including the 12th of the month), were available for work, except for temporary illness, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Unemployment insurance (UI) beneficiaries include those who apply for and qualify for UI benefits. Consequently, the estimate of the number of unemployed and the number of UI beneficiaries do not necessarily move in tandem.
Jobs Data
Jobs data are obtained from a separate joint federal-state survey of business establishments. The survey, called the Current Employment Statistics of Establishments, samples establishments in New York State. It excludes self-employed workers, agricultural workers, unpaid family workers and domestic workers employed by private households. This data represents a count of jobs by place of work. Data for each month is revised the following month as more complete information becomes available.
The New York State Department of Labor is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Program.
Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Dear Neighbor,
Thank you for joining us for another week in review.
As promised, our first-ever digital Community Board application is live and available in both English and Spanish. We wanted to make our application easy and accessible to our community by eliminating the barriers that could keep our neighbors from joining. We encourage everyone to apply - our community boards should reflect the diversity of our great Borough. We also encourage our youth (16 years or older) to join us! We want to hear from you. Help us build the Borough you want to see! The application deadline is March 3rd, 2023. Click here to apply.
Yesterday, Mayor Eric Adams joined with Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim to announce the creation of the $75 million NYC Small Business Opportunity Fund, the largest public-private loan fund directed at small businesses in the city’s history. For more information on the groundbreaking initiative, click here.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 718-590-3500 or email us at webmail@bronxbp.nyc.gov.
In partnership,
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson
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Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ROBERT BERNARDI, the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia-based email security company GigaMedia Access Corporation, d/b/a GigaTrust (“GigaTrust”), was sentenced to five years in prison by United States District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. BERNARDI was sentenced for orchestrating a scheme to defraud investors and lenders of millions of dollars through false and misleading misrepresentations, including fabricated bank statements and audit reports, and by impersonating a purported customer, auditor, and GigaTrust lawyer.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Robert Bernardi repeatedly lied and impersonated others in order to convince investors and lenders to fund his failing company. Rather than admit that GigaTrust was underperforming, Bernardi concocted multiple schemes to keep the company afloat, defrauding investors and lenders out of millions. Today’s sentence is a just consequence of Bernardi’s fraudulent actions”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and other filings and statements made in court:[1]
From in or about 2016 through at least in or about 2019, GigaTrust was a private company headquartered in Virginia that purported to be a market-leading provider of cloud-based content security solutions. BERNARDI founded GigaTrust and served as its CEO. BERNARDI, along with two co-defendants, NIHAT CARDAK and SUNIL CHANDRA, devised a scheme to defraud investors and lenders by (i) fabricating and disseminating false and misleading bank account statements that overstated GigaTrust’s cash deposits; (ii) fabricating and disseminating false and misleading audit materials that purported to have been issued by GigaTrust’s auditors and overstated GigaTrust’s performance; (iii) forging and disseminating a false and misleading letter purporting to be from GigaTrust’s New York-based counsel; and (iv) impersonating or causing others to impersonate a purported customer and auditor of GigaTrust on telephone calls with a prospective lender.
Specifically, BERNARDI sent fabricated audit materials to a New York-based investment firm, and BERNARDI and CARDAK used fabricated bank statements to obtain multiple rounds of loans and investments for GigaTrust worth millions of dollars. After a New York-based bank (“Bank-1”), which had loaned GigaTrust $25 million, declared that GigaTrust had defaulted on the terms of its loan agreement, BERNARDI and CARDAK induced additional investments in GigaTrust through, among other things, forging a letter purporting to be from GigaTrust’s New-York based counsel. Shortly thereafter, while negotiating another $25 million deal with a lender (“Lender-1”), BERNARDI and CARDAK devised a scheme to impersonate a GigaTrust customer and auditor on requested diligence calls, which induced Lender-1 to make a $25 million loan to GigaTrust. BERNARDI recruited CHANDRA to pose as one of GigaTrust’s alleged customers on a call with Lender-1. BERNARDI and CARDAK also fabricated bank statements and sent them to Lender-1 right before closing the $25 million deal.
GigaTrust filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the District of Delaware on or about November 27, 2019.
In addition to his prison term, BERNARDI, 68, of McLean, Virginia, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $3,442,264 and to pay restitution to his victims.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this case. Mr. Williams further thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has separately filed a civil enforcement action against the defendants, for its assistance in the investigation.
NIHAT CARDAK pled guilty on January 12, 2023, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 16, 2023. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations as to SUNIL CHANDRA, and CHANDRA is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New Center is $500,000 Upgrade, Four Times the Size of Former Location,and has Space for Twice the Number of Staff
One of 10 Across the State Funded by a Record $15 Million Investment Secured by Governor Hochul
Governor Highlighted Major Public Safety Initiatives as Part of the 2023 State of the State Agenda, Including Expanding Crime Analysis Center Network to New York City, Doubling Funding for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative, and Tripling Funding to the State's 62 District Attorneys' Offices
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the expansion of the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center in Albany, one of 10 centers in a state-supported network providing critical crime analysis, information, and investigative support to help law enforcement agencies more effectively solve, reduce, and prevent crime. Located at the City of Albany's Police Headquarters, the center received a $500,000 upgrade, making it four times the size of its former location with space for twice the number of staff. After touring the center, Governor Hochul highlighted the major public safety initiatives included in the 2023 State of the State agenda, which includes expanding the Crime Analysis Center network to New York City, doubling funding for the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, and more than tripling aid to the state's 62 district attorneys' offices.
"There is no greater obligation than ensuring every New Yorker can live in safety, and that has always been my number one priority," Governor Hochul said. "We have leveraged local, state, and federal resources to create a one-of-a-kind network that is the backbone of local law enforcement agencies' crime-fighting efforts. We will continue to use state-of-the-art tools and technology to analyze data and share information - allowing investigators to solve murders, robberies, burglaries and gun crimes across the state, and creating a safer New York for all."
Governor Hochul toured the center with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Albany County Executive Dan McCoy after meeting with the Center Board of Directors to learn more about how the centers assist police agencies and prosecutors' office, particularly with cases involving firearms. Through a unique partnership between the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the 10 centers access the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and by this summer, each center will have technology on-site to process shell casings and identify potential matches from different crime scenes in multiple jurisdictions across the state. This identification process previously took up to a month but will now take 24 to 48 hours and has a 99.6 accuracy rating.
In the Governor's 2023 State of the State agenda, Governor Hochul outlined a comprehensive public safety plan and investments to drive down gun violence and violent crime that includes:
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, "Albany is proud to be home to the newest and largest Crime Analysis Center in New York State. The work happening here is helping us take a record number of illegal guns off our streets, apprehend violent individuals, and identify trends to help inform our proactive deployment of police resources. Thank you to Governor Hochul and DCJS Commissioner RossanaRosado for partnering with Chief Hawkins and the Albany Police Department and making this important investment that is enhancing public safety every day."
Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said, "New Yorkers deserve the peace of mind that comes with living in safe communities, and this $500,000 investment for an expanded crime analysis center in Albany is another demonstration of Governor Hochul's commitment to public safety. Today I was happy to tour the new facility with the Governor and Mayor Sheehan to see firsthand the important work being done to assist local law enforcement in getting guns off the street and preventing violent crime in the future."
The Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency and has a variety of responsibilities, including law enforcement training; collection and analysis of statewide crime data; maintenance of criminal history information and fingerprint files; administrative oversight of the state's DNA databank, in partnership with the New York State Police; funding and oversight of probation and community correction programs; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the state's Sex Offender Registry. Follow the agency on Twitter and Facebook.