South Riverdale Little League Awards & Auction Night

    Due to Hurricane Sandy the South Riverdale Awards and Auction Night had to be moved from PS 24 to the College of Mount Saint Vincent Saturday night. Hundreds of  Little League baseball players from South Riverdale received awards for their hard play, and got to meet a real hometown New York Met player Mike Baxter. Baxter answered questions from the kids as their parents got to bid on some great sports items. 

    You may ask who is Mike Baxter, and what is his claim to fame? Mike Baxter grew up in Whitestone Queens a few miles away from the old Shea Stadium. It was his dream to play baseball, and to play for the Mets. Baxter was drafted in 2005 by the San Diego Padres, but played in their minor league system until he was called up on September 6, 2010. On July 22, 2011 Baxter was selected off waivers by the Mets. In 2010 and 2011 Baxter played in 31 games with 49 plate appearances for the Padres & Mets, and was granted free agency by the Mets on December 12, 2011. On December 16, 2011 Mike Baxter signed as a free agent with the Mets

     In 2012 Baxter played in 89 games with 211 plate appearances, hit 3 home runs, had 17 RBI's, and stole 5 bases. He played all three outfield positions making 81 put outs in 85 chances with only one error. Mike Baxter's claim to fame right now is that he made a diving catch to preserve Met pitcher Yohan Santana's no hitter June 1, 2012 (the first no hitter in Met history). In 2012 Met Pitcher Yohan Santana was paid 25 million dollars to pitch for the Mets. Not every baseball player makes millions of dollars to play, and Mike Baxter signed for a salary of $484,000.00 to play for the Mets through at least 2017. Baxter will be able to go to salary arbitration in 2014 should he prove to become a regular player. While Baxter said he prefers center field I don't see Baxter playing center field with Andre Torres the current Met center fielder, and Angel Pagan the former Met center fielder (who the Mets traded to San Francisco) now a free agent. 

     Mike Baxter in talking to the children in the audience stressed the iimportance of good team work and being a team player. After the auction was over Baxter stayed to talk some more and sign free autographs for those who also stayed. While he may not have been Derek Jeter or A-Rod, Mile Baxter looked as though he had as much excitement as those who were there to see him. 

    Registration for the 2013 SRLL season is underway and will continue through March of 2013. Last year there were almost 400 children (boys & girls), in different age groups up to 16 years of age in different divisions from T-ball to the senior league. The President of the South Riverdale Little League is Mr. Mike Farber who said that the league is also looking for more sponsors, as well as the many other volunteer positions that are needed. Mr. Farber can be contacted at srllmike7@gmail.com , and you can visit the South Riverdale Little League at their website at www.srll.org for more information on the league.

    Below are some photos that were taken at the event

South Riverdal Little League players pose with their awards and respective division.   

More kids with their awards and respective divisions. Left - you see the girls Division.

Left - Even the elected officials were on hand. State Senator Jeff Klein & Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

Right - Mike Baxter speaking to the audience.

Baxter poses with Jack Buckley and Stavri Anopolus winners of special auction packages. 

After the event Baxter stayed to sign for the kids.

Baxter even posed with SRLL President Mike Farber and Board member Ken Katrzman.

   

 

New York City Marathon Cancelled

    Late last evening it was announced that the New York City Marathon was being cancelled. The New York Post had an article the previous day about how generators and precious resources needed in hard hit areas by Hurricane Sandy were being stored for the marathon race.

    

   The Post reported that two giant emergency generators able to crank out to out power to 400 homes in an areas that have been hard hit, have been going 24/7 in Central Park for the Marathon, while a third generator sits idle as a back up. Also reported was that hundreds of cases of water was dropped off at the park site that also are needed in Hurricane Sandy ravished areas where there may be no safe drinking water.

    "He is clueless without a paddle to the reality of what everyone else is dealing with," was the comment about Mayor Bloomberg by one Staten Island resident. "If there are any resources being put toward the marathon, that's wrong". 

   The New York Road Runners Club, which organizes the world-famous race, is paying for the generators, and the Post also added in its story that a Fire Department permit revealed a $37,500 fee to run them constantly through Nov. 6. “These are our private generators. We are not draining any resources from the city’s plan to recover,” Road Runners spokesman Richard Finn angrily insisted. 

   The Post story goes on to tell of other city resources such as Police Department barricades, trucks and other personal that are being used to help set up for the marathon, and plans to deploy about 100 much needed police officers. The entire Post story can be found here.

    

Baseball Auction & Awards Night Change of Location

Please note that the Baseball Auction & Award night scheduled for Saturday November 3rd has been moved from PS 24 to The College of Mount Saint Vincent. See Below

Henry Hudson Parkway South Back-Up

    It is not the AM rush hour, but 1:15 PM on Friday afternoon on the southbound Henry Hudson Parkway. as traffic is backed up past the West 239th Street exit (as you will see in the next photo).

    You can see the northbound lanes are empty by exit 20 for West 239th Street. The reason that the southbound lanes are so jammed is that as cars travel under West 232nd Street the roadway is narrowed to one lane and each car is looked at to make sure that they have three occupants or more. Any car with less than three occupants is asked to exit at Kappock Street, the last exit before the Henry Hudson Bridge.

     The photos were taken from the West 235th Street pedestrian overpass.

UPDATE --
     As of 6 PM the restriction to have three occupants in cars crossing the Henry Hudson Bridge, and other NYC bridges was lifted.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz

A leap of faith

 

You should know that I’ve spent a lot of money and resources this year on different Hispanic radio stations and media outlets to air a commercial asking for the Hispanic Community to cast their votes on the Conservative Party line in this year’s General Election on Tuesday November 6th.

 

My television commercial has aired in Puerto Rico and throughout America on WAPA American TV.  For those who would like to see it on WAPA America TV, tune in every weekday between 6pm - 7pm, and then again between 10pm - 11pm. My commercial, Ni Democratas! Ni Republicanos! has received great praise in the Hispanic Community.  It has been shared widely on Facebook and on websites, reaching a multitude of Spanish-speaking voters.

 

I have received calls from people in North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut and of course New York State, and I have been greeted by people who see me in my community congratulating me, giving me praise, and telling me that they will join me and vote on the Conservative Party Line.

 

It is well known that not too many people vote on the Conservative Party Line in New York City, and it will be very interesting to see this year’s election results to see how many Hispanic votes will have jumped over to the Conservative Party Line - not only in New York State but throughout the nation.

 

I'd like to say to all of you experts and pundits out there, get ready to have your eyes opened to see how many votes are cast on the Conservative Party line.  The results are only days away.

 

This leap of faith that I am taking is based upon what I believe the Hispanic community truly stands for.

 

This is State Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

 

 

UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE TO THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE SANDY

NEWS FROM... NYS Assemblymember Marcos A. Crespo 85th Assembly District 1163 Manor Avenue, Bronx, NY 10472 Tel. 718-893-0202 – Fax. (718) 842-8731 – Email: crespom@assembly.state.ny.us

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that federal disaster unemployment assistance is now available to all New Yorkers who lost their jobs as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Disaster unemployment benefits are available to provide financial support to anyone who has lost their job and live or work in the Bronx, Kings, New York, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester counties.

This assistance will supplement New York’s existing unemployment insurance system and will expand eligibility to include individuals who might otherwise not be covered. The United States Department of Labor has committed to providing additional assistance if needed.

“The physical destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy has been terrible, and the resulting job losses can be even more painful for New Yorkers,” Governor Cuomo said. “These federal funds will quickly provide financial assistance to those whose livelihoods have been upended. I urge impacted New Yorkers to apply as soon as possible.”

Department of Labor staff will be deployed to hard-hit communities to help register impacted New Yorkers for Disaster Unemployment Assistance in person.

Anyone unemployed due to Hurricane Sandy is immediately eligible and can submit a claim to the Department of Labor. The criterion for collecting disaster assistance is broader than for collecting regular unemployment benefits. Specifically, an individual can collect disaster assistance in any of the following cases:
•Injured in the disaster and unable to work, whether the person is an employee or self-employed.
•Workplace is damaged, or destroyed, or the person cannot work because of the disaster.
•Transportation to work is not available because of the disaster.
•Cannot get to work because must travel through the affected area, which is impossible due to disaster.
•Planned to begin working, but cannot because of the disaster.
•Derived most of income from areas affected by the disaster, and business is closed or inoperable because of the disaster.

Examples of self-employment include small business owners, independent taxi drivers, vendors, independent commercial fisherman, and farmers.

State Department of Labor Commissioner Peter M. Rivera said, “These people want to work and are unable to because of circumstances far beyond their control. This money will directly help workers who have families to feed and bills to pay. Contact the Department of Labor and we will determine which program you qualify for.”

To apply for unemployment benefits or disaster unemployment assistance, those affected by the storm and have lost their job or income should call the Telephone Claims Center (TCC) at 1-888-209-8124, or 1-877-358-5306 if they live out of state. Applicants should answer the questions to indicate they lost their job due to Hurricane Sandy. In order to receive benefits you must apply by December 3, 2012.  

Borough President Diaz and BOEDC Announce that The Bronx is Open for Business!

  

Bronx Economic Development Corporation is providing support and information to businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Marlene Cintron, president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, made clear today that BOEDC's office is open to support the area's businesses.

"While my office is working with the residents of the Bronx and the area's infrastructure, BOEDC is working on getting our businesses and its workers back to work," stated Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz.

All Bronx businesses that have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy by loss of property and or loss of business are encouraged to immediately call the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) at (800) 621-3362 or (800) 462-7585 TTY. Those who have access to the internet can register their claim online at www.disasterassistance.gov. There are operators who will assist you from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.

FEMA funds can be used to cover rental payments for temporary housing for those homes that are unlivable, grants for home repairs and replacement of household items as well as unemployment payments up to 26 weeks for workers who have temporarily lost their jobs due to the disaster.

Small Businesses that have registered with FEMA may also apply for disaster loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) who will provide low interest loans to cover up to $2 MM in loss of property, damage or loss of cash flow. In order to apply for the SBA loans, call (800) 659-2955 or (800) 877-8339 TTY, or register online at www.sba.gov/content/applying-disaster-loan or apply in person at any Disaster Recovery Center.

"If you are overwhelmed and need assistance to get your business back on its feet, contact my office at (718) 590-6252. We will walk you through the process to insure that you get the help you need and get it fast," stated Marlene Cintron, president of BOEDC.

"We have been working with the City of New York and SBS and are very pleased with the response we have gotten on issues we have raised to them," she added.

In addition to the resources cited, BOEDC is providing the following listing that can help Bronx businesses in need:  

Red Cross: Provides assistance to displaced residents. Call (877) 733-2767

New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services: Helps in the recovery of natural disasters as well as other emergencies. The Hurricane Sandy Helpline is (888) 769-7243 or (518) 485-1159  

NYC Office of Emergency Management: Coordinates emergency response and recovery in NYC. For the latest on utility and transportation service restoration, go to  www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/html/home/hurricane_sandy_businesses.shtml or call 311

NYC Small Business Services (SBS): Provides assistance to small business owners post Hurricane Sandy. Call 311

Con Edison: To report down lines, outages and check service restoration status by computer or mobile devices do so at www.coned.com. You can also call (800) 752-6633.

"You are not alone. You are a Bronx business where help is just a phone call away. Call BOEDC for any kind of assistance your business needs," concluded Ms. Cintron.

Election Day -- The Board of Elections Response

     In a Daily News item by Celeste Katz After Sandy New York officials rush to patch together an election   there is mention of just how things may go on Election day even if there is no power at many poll sites in the outer boroughs.

     “We’ll just have to make do. And it won’t be perfect, but we’re going to have an election,” said Douglas Kellner, Democratic co-chair of the state Board of Elections. “A democracy calls for sacrifice from time to time, and this is one of those occasions” Kellner added.

    

   J.C. Polanco, the Bronx GOP commissioner for the city BOE, said that officials were considering consolidating about 40 poll sites serving residents of hard-hit Breezy Point and the Rockaways in parking lots at Aqueduct Raceway, Jacob Riis Park and Floyd Bennett Field, setting up tents with generators. Meanwhile, Staten Islanders may end up seeing sites consolidated at the Armory.

    There is also mention of having mobil poll sites, and battery operated voting machine which would be required in areas that still would not have power. Then there mention Gov. Cuomo is also considering issuing an emergency proclamation to let people who reside in areas affected by the killer storm to vote by absentee ballot even if they’re in town. 

    We will have to wait and see what happens on Tuesday November 6th to make sure that people who are already disenfranchised by Hurricane Sandy do not get disenfranchised again when it comes to vote.

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