Mayor Mamdani Announces New Emergency Microgrant Program for Home-Based Child Care Providers

 

Administration launches first step toward the City’s $3 million Emergency Microgrant Fund dedicated to licensed home-based child care providers  

  

City issues RFP to administer new fund 

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced a new $3 million Emergency Microgrant Fund to support licensed home-based child care providers across New York City. The fund will provide direct financial assistance to providers facing urgent emergencies that threaten their ability to remain open and continue serving families. As the first step in launching the program, the City issued a request for proposals (RFP) to identify an organization to administer the fund.  

  

“Home-based child care providers are the backbone of our child care system. They should not have to shoulder emergencies on their own. When a refrigerator breaks, a pipe bursts or a storm damages a home, families can lose access to the care they rely on overnight,” said Mayor Mamdani. “This microgrant program is about making sure government shows up before a crisis becomes a closure. It’s one more step toward building a child care system that values every provider and every family.”  

  

“For too long, our child care system hasn’t had the infrastructure in place to help providers weather unexpected emergencies. This new microgrant program recognizes that home-based child care providers are essential to our city’s child care system,” said Emmy Liss, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. “We designed this initiative alongside child care providers themselves because the best public policy is built with the people it serves.”  

  

Home-based child care providers are a vital part of New York City’s early child care ecosystem, serving up to 100,000 children linguistic and culturally responsive care directly within their communities. Through the new fund, more than 500 licensed providers will be eligible for emergency microgrants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to address urgent needs that could otherwise disrupt or end their operations.   

  

The Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education will work with the selected administrator to finalize the program’s design and launch the initiative before the end of 2026. 

The Emergency Microgrant Fund was co-designed by the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education and a working group of home-based child care providers and advocates. Together, they identified emergency financial assistance as a top priority and collaborated to design the initiative's guiding principles, goals and eligibility.   

  

In April, Mayor Mamdani launched the Child Care Action Fund through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to help build a high-quality universal child care system that supports families, educators and providers. The microgrant program will be funded through the Child Care Action Fund and complements the administration’s broader investments in free, accessible and universal child care. 

Governor Hochul Announces Comprehensive Modernization Project to Restore Century-Old Chambers St Subway Station

Project Made Possible by Congestion Pricing Funding

Rehabilitation Includes Rebuilding Structures, Replacing Tiles and Upgrading Stairways

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking contractors to design, construct and rehabilitate one of the most historic stations in the subway system – the Chambers St JZ station, which opened in 1913. This comprehensive renewal project will rebuild structures, replace tiles, upgrade stairways and restore the station from top to bottom, including its architectural finishes. The project is part of the MTA’s 2020 – 2024 Capital Plan, and is made possible by funding from congestion pricing.

“Chambers St has stood for decades as a living monument of generations of underinvestment in our transit system, now, thanks to funding from congestion pricing, that finally changes,” Governor Hochul said. “I promised New Yorkers that congestion pricing would not just clean our air and speed up traffic, it would unleash billions in investments to improve the lifeblood of our city. Advancing this project and giving Chambers St the rehabilitation it so desperately needs will show New Yorkers what is possible when we invest in transit.”

The project will deliver a complete rehabilitation, improving both station appearance and infrastructure, while preserving the historic details of the station. Chambers St is on the register of National Historic Places as declared by the U.S. Department of the Interior and serves 18,196 riders on an average weekday. The MTA will award the design-build contract by the end of the year. The Chambers St station is among the most urgently in need of repair and rehabilitation in the entire subway system, with water damage and decades of structural decay diminishing the customer experience.

Biweekly News from State Senator Gustavo Rivera!

SENATOR RIVERA IN THE COMMUNITY

STATEMENT ON WEDNESDAY'S DEADLY FIVE ALARM FIRE IN NORWOOD

Last week, Senator Rivera joined healthcare advocacy organizations and unions to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the creation of the Medicaid and Medicare programs by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

As the federal administration cuts healthcare funding and deprives New Yorkers of care, Senator Rivera strongly believes that New York State has the responsibility and the obligation to do more and ultimately pass the New York Health Act, especially after hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers already lost healthcare due to HR1. 

Watch Senator Rivera’s remarks at this press conference here.

SENATOR RIVERA HOSTS HIS FIRST BACK-TO-SCHOOL EVENT OF THE YEAR AT THE BEAN MORRIS GARDEN

This week, Senator Rivera held his first Back-to-School event of the season at the beautiful Bean Morris Garden on Morris Avenue. Like every year, Senator Rivera will hold a number of these events all across his district.

Senator Rivera would like to invite his community to his biggest Back to School event next Thursday, August 13 at St. James Park starting at 2PM.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

SENATOR RIVERA JOINS RIBBON CUTTING OF THE NEW "LEHMAN GRAND"

This week, Senator Rivera joined CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez and Lehman College President Fernando Delgado at the celebration to commemorate Lehman College's first dorm, "The Lehman Grand," at the historic Dollar Savings Bank building on the Grand Concourse in Fordham. This new facility will provide beds for about 180 students.

Senator Rivera was incredibly proud to have played a part in making this dorm happen by allocating $1,000,000 in state capital funding.

By supporting projects and programs such as this one, we are supporting the area's economic development and helping shape our borough's next generation of leaders.

TUESDAY 8/20: JOIN YP'S 2ND ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR

BECOME A BLOOD DONOR TODAY!

Spread the word! Blood and platelet donors are urgently needed this summer. Travel and seasonal activities can impact donations, but patients continue to rely on lifesaving blood. Take a moment to make an impact.

Book your appointment: WhereToDonateBlood.org

New SNAP Work Requirements: What You Need to Know New federal rules are changing SNAP work requirements for some New Yorkers. Starting this year, certain adults may need to work, attend job training, or volunteer to keep their benefits. You may be affected if you are: ● Between ages 18–64 ● Not living with a child under 14 ● Not exempt due to a health condition or other reason  If these rules apply to you, you may need to take action each month to avoid losing your SNAP benefits.  Check your status and learn what to do: on.nyc.gov/snap.

The changes from the feds that go into effect on July 1st will have serious implications for over 450,000 New Yorkers enrolled in the Essential Plan that are losing health insurance coverage. Thankfully, Community Health Advocates (CHA) have made themselves available to assist you.

Call the toll-free Helpline (888-614-5400, option 3) Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. With your consent, Senator Rivera's team can also email your information over to CHA for assistance.

CHA can counsel consumers losing Essential Plan coverage about:  

• Insurance eligibility and options  
• Where to find low-cost care
• Resolving medical debt, and  
• Their rights for seeking treatment in emergency situations

BEAT THE HEAT! LEARN MORE ABOUT NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT UNIT’S COOLING CENTER PROGRAM

COOL OPTIONS FINDER

As a reminder, should extreme heat occur, New Yorkers are advised to stay cool and stay hydrated. Avoid spending prolonged periods of time outdoors. Call 911 immediately if you or someone else shows signs of heat-related illness, such as confusion, dizziness, or difficulty breathing. For more preparedness tips, visit: nyc.gov/BeReady or nyc.gov/beattheheat.

BRONX MAN SENTENCED FOR FATALLY SHOOTING THE HUSBAND OF A WOMAN HE HAD BEEN ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH

 

Shooting Took Place Within an Hour of Victim’s Wife Ending the Affair

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that a Bronx man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting a romantic rival to death. 

District Attorney Clark said, “This defendant was unable to accept the fact that the victim’s wife had decided to end her affair with the defendant. In a fit of uncontrolled rage, he took the life of a man who was loved by his family.” 

District Attorney Clark said defendant Pedro Mercado, 54, the Bronx, was sentenced on August 6, 2026, to 20 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy. On April 17, 2026, Mercado was convicted by a jury on first-degree manslaughter and second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

According to the facts brought out at trial, on September 4, 2023, at approximately 12:40 am. in the parking lot of 645 Westchester Avenue, the defendant beat, pistol whipped and shot Joshua Antonetti in the head. The victim was rushed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln where he died the next day. The defendant had been dating the victim’s wife, but an hour before the shooting, she had broken off her relationship with Mercado.

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Brian Destefano of the 40th Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Kevin Mockel of the Bronx Homicide Squad for their work in the investigation. 

ICE Asks North Carolina to Not Release Illegal Alien Charged with Murder After Allegedly Letting a Toddler Drown in a Bathtub

 

This criminal illegal alien was RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer asking officials in North Carolina to not release from jail a criminal illegal alien charged with murder after allegedly leaving a toddler to drown in a bathtub.

According to local reporting, police in Garner, North Carolina arrested Angel Israel Deras-Rivas, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, on August 2. The arrest warrant states that Deras-Rivas was caring for the 14-month-old child as the child’s stepfather and husband of the child’s mother when he left the child unattended in a bathtub full of water, which led to the child’s death.

Angel Israel Deras-Rivas

Deras-Rivas now faces charges of murder and felony child abuse. ICE lodged a detainer with the Wake County Sheriff’s Department on the same day he was arrested.

“This criminal illegal alien has been charged with murder and felony child abuse after letting a 14-month-old drown in a bathtub,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “That child would still be alive today if it weren’t for the reckless open-border policies of the Biden Administration that released this criminal into our country in the first place. ICE is calling on officials in North Carolina to commit to not releasing this killer from jail, and to turn him over to ICE custody so we can get him out of our country.”

Deras-Rivas illegally entered the United States through Texas in October 2023. He was then RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration.

Repeat Felon Bites Cops During arrest, Sentenced to Over 11 Years for Drugs and Firearms Charges

 

A 45-year-old Edinburg resident has been ordered to federal prison for possession with intent to distribute meth and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Alvaro Salinas Jr. pleaded guilty April 27.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now handed Salinas a 140-month term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Salinas’s criminal history, including prior convictions for federal drug trafficking, transporting of illegal aliens, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In imposing the sentence, the court noted Salinas seemed unable to live a law-abiding life.

On the afternoon of Dec. 7, 2025, law enforcement responded to a report of an unconscious driver in the middle of the road. They found Salinas asleep behind the wheel of a Nissan Rogue.

As authorities attempted to wake him, Salinas became combative and tried to flee with the vehicle doors open. They were able to remove him from the car, but Salinas continued to resist arrest and attempted to bite them.

Law enforcement soon discovered a firearm inside the driver’s side door panel within his reach. Salinas has multiple prior felony convictions. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.

A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed a large plastic bag containing approximately 127 grams of meth.

Salinas has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance of Pharr Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case. 

Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Laundering More than $1.9 Million in Drug Proceeds

 

A Mexican national pleaded guilty today for his role in the collection of more than $1.9 million in drug proceeds in the United States and the return of those proceeds via cryptocurrency or wire transfers to Mexico as part of a money laundering conspiracy. 

According to court documents, Daniel Gordiano Valenzuela, 60, who was residing in Mexico at the time of his arrest, served as a “money broker” in an organization that conspired with drug traffickers to launder money for them in Mexico. Gordiano Valenzuela personally arranged for the laundering of $1, 973,076 from the sale of drugs and used a network of co-conspirators to pick up the drug proceeds throughout the United States. After delivery of the bulk cash, he provided instructions for the transfer of those funds via cryptocurrency or wire transfer and then received a “commission,” or percentage of the money laundered successfully. 

Gordiano Valenzuela pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Field Division made the announcement.

The DEA Detroit Field Division and IRS Criminal Investigation Detroit investigated the case, working closely with the DEA Austin Residence Office and Lexington Residence Office with assistance from DEA’s Special Operations Division and DEA offices in Mexico, Houston, Tulsa, Chicago, and Youngstown, Ohio. 

Deputy Chief Elizabeth R. Rabe of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Deputy Chief Gary Todd Bradbury of the Eastern District of Kentucky are prosecuting the case. 

The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.

This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

Attorney General James Warns New Yorkers of Gold Bar Scam Targeting Seniors

 

AG James Provides Tips for New Yorkers to Protect Themselves from Scams Targeting Their Bank Accounts

New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued a consumer alert warning New Yorkers of increasingly common “gold bar scams” and providing tips to protect themselves. These scams usually start with a fake pop-up message on victims’ computers, claiming their computer or financial accounts have been compromised or linked to criminal activity. The scammers convince the victim to give them remote access to their computer and then persuade the victim to convert their money into gold bars to protect their life savings. These gold bars are later collected and laundered by the scammers. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has investigated more than 100 gold bar scam cases over the past two years, with total losses exceeding $100 million. Attorney General James is providing New Yorkers with tips on how to protect themselves from these scams and is encouraging those who are contacted by scammers to file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

“Targeting older adults with seemingly legitimate claims that their life savings are in immediate danger is flat-out cruel,” said Attorney General James. “Seniors deserve to live comfortably without fear of losing their hard-earned savings to a manipulative scam. I am urging all New Yorkers to beware of these gold bar scams and report suspicious messages related to this scam to my office.”

These gold bar scams typically use a fraudulent pop-up message on victims’ computers, designed to resemble a legitimate cybersecurity warning. Victims are directed to provide remote access to their computer, allowing scammers to access victims’ financial information or online bank accounts. The scammers create fake evidence of hacking activity on the victims’ computer in order to further their scheme.

Victims are then connected to an individual posing as a law enforcement officer or government investigator. The scammer claims that the victims’ accounts have been compromised, and in order to protect their money, they must withdraw their savings and purchase gold bars or coins from legitimate dealers and turn these bars over to the purported authorities to keep them safe. Victims are instructed to keep the matter confidential and not discuss it with bank employees or family members. The scammers will then use couriers to collect the gold from the victim.

Attorney General James is providing the following tips to help New Yorkers avoid falling victim to these sorts of scams, as well as other similar financial scams:

• Do not call the number provided in a pop-up, text, or email.
• Never give someone you don’t know remote access to your computer.
• Never move money out of your bank account at the urging of someone over the phone.
• If someone claims there is an issue with your bank account, hang up and contact your financial institution by calling the number printed on your bank statement instead.
• Remember, a scam is effective because the scammer creates a false sense of urgency, pressuring the victim into life-altering decisions on the spot and swearing them to secrecy. The best way to combat this is to hang up and contact someone you trust and let them know your situation.

New York City residents who think they have been a victim of this scam are encouraged to contact their local NYPD precinct.

If you or someone you love is a victim of a scam, please contact the Office of the Attorney by filing an online complaint or calling 1-800-771-7755.