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Sunday, October 20, 2013
Celebrate FVCP & Help Toast Our Volunteers
Bronx Community Board Four Opposes New Transitional Housing Facility
Bronx CB 4 & community leaders are opposing a proposed project in CB 4. Here are the details.
Who: Bronx Community Board Four & Community Leaders
What: Tier II Transitional Facility on the Grand Concourse
Where: 1387 Grand Concourse
When: 10:00 am; Monday, October 21, 2013
Why:
It is our opinion that the City continues to disregard the spirit
of the City Charter with respect to fair share analysis and siting
procedures throughout our neighborhoods. While we sympathize with the
individual and or families in need of supportive services, we simply
cannot and will not continue to support developments like 1387 Grand
Concourse. Our decision is not based on any bias towards a particular
group or population but rather our dismay over the continued site
selection and notification of such facilities. The Community Board
argues that the selected site will cause a considerable increase in the
already congested residential neighborhood and furthermore this district
cannot thrive under these conditions.
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Here is the letter sent to Mr. Issac Leshinsky of Housing Bridge.
October 17, 2013
Isaac Leshinsky
President & CEO
Housing Bridge, Inc.
652 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11206
Dear Mr. Leshinsky:
Please be advised that on October 16th
we received your letter outlining your intent to acquire 42 units at
1387 Grand Concourse for the purposes of operating a Tier II
Transitional Housing Facility. While we sympathize with the individual
and or families in need of such services, we simply cannot and will not
support your efforts to secure approval from DHS. Understand our
decision is not based on any bias towards Housing Bridge and the work
that you do, but rather our dismay over site selection and notification
of such facilities.
Community
Board Four has taken the position that the fair share analysis is
inadequate and does not involve true “community notification” by either
potential organizations or the administrative agency. The care of this
population, indeed a noble task, is not the issue it is the inundation
of supportive facilities in District Four.
It
is our responsibility to provide the services and resources to
community districts that will enable them to thrive and meet their
goals. The service demands of each neighborhood and constituency in our
district must be matched with the appropriate response, not only from
the appropriate City agency but from all our residents in order to
create healthy living conditions in our fast-growing community. We will
do our best to ensure that our community district is made aware and act
accordingly as we stand at the forefront in protecting and servicing
our citizenry.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Saunders
Board Chair
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Ice Skating Back Soon at VCP
The above two photos are from last year when the Van Cortlandt Park temporary ice skating rink was set up. Mr. Ron Kraut of Ice Rink Events is the person in the photos. On the left he is lacing up a pair of ice skates, and then on the right he is taking a spin on the newly formed ice.
Last year the ice was not as firm as it could be with warm weather and the crowd of people using the ice skating rink. At times the rink had to be shut down to refinish the ice with the Zamboni machine. This year a sand base was placed under the rink foundation so the ice could freeze faster and last longer.
As you will see in the photos below the ice skating rink is almost ready for its grand opening. The "Chillers" are back and being placed inside as the rink that has been set back up. The only thing missing is the ice and the advertisements that will be placed on the sidewalls of the rink.
Klein, Dinowitz Announce New Legislation Aimed at Cracking Down on Black Market for Stolen iPhones
Amid
Rising Numbers of iPhone Thefts Citywide, Klein/Dinowitz Bill Takes Aim at
Distribution Network for Stolen Smartphones
From the scene of the April 2012 murder and robbery of Hwang
Yang. Yang, who was killed on his way home by two assailants who
wanted to steal Yang’s iPhone Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Jeff
Dinowitz, Chair of the Assembly’s Consumer Affairs and Protection
Committee, introduced new legislation today aimed at stemming the tide of iPhone
thefts across New York City. Over the past several years, iPhone thefts in New
York City have soared. Current NYPD statistics show that Apple device thefts
are up 10% this year—and with the September release of the new, technologically
advanced iPhone 5S, some experts are predicting an even greater increase by
year’s end.
The key
to stopping these thefts, Klein believes, is by cutting off demand from some of
the most frequent purchasers of stolen phones. News reports demonstrate that
many stolen iPhones are sold in neighborhood stores, such as laundromats, flea
market stands, and bodegas. These stores sell stolen phones off the books after
buying the phones from street criminals. Klein’s bill targets these black
market retailers by requiring them to prove that they are the rightful owners
of the phones they sell. If a retailer is unable to prove that he or she
purchased the phone legally, that retailer can face hefty fines or even jail
time.
Senator Klein said, “The goal of this legislation is to scare black
market retailers out of this terrible business. If you’re a retailer making a
few extra bucks by selling stolen phones, you’re now going to think twice
before you open up your wallet and pay one of these criminals. I have had
someone killed in my district over an iPhone. That is as bad as it gets. But it’s
an epidemic across this city and we can’t wait any longer to take meaningful
action.”
Assemblyman Dinowitz said, "The theft of smart
phones and other wireless communication devices is perhaps one of the most
frequent crimes committed in New York. In my district there has been a rash of
these thefts in the past couple of years, including a horrific incident where a
young man was murdered for his iPhone. We must take swift action to fight this
crime by creating every possible disincentive for committing these
thefts."
The
legislation will also require retailers to provide detailed receipts for every
phone sold. Under the Klein/Dinowitz legislation, these receipts must show the
phone’s serial number. By providing that information, law enforcement and
consumers will be able to keep better track of how and where stolen phones move
in the marketplace.
Left - Senator Klein gives details of the new legislation, with 50th Precinct Community Council President Paulette Schomo (left) , Assemblyman Dinowitz, and PS 24 PTA President Farrah Reuben.
Right - Assemblyman Dinowitz gives more details about the reason for the new legislation.
Below - A vacant lot across the street from where the announcement was made which has been like this for many years. Could it have given cover to the killers as they waited for their prey?
CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS ENDORSES JOE LHOTA
This came in from the Joe Lhota for Mayor Campaign. Read the bold print that I highlighted. This endorsement seems to be less than flattering, and even states that the two are much alike. The big sticking point to me is that in a time when Madison Square Garden is negotiating a new deal with the city I do not like that Mr. Lhota was a top executive of Cablevison and MSG. Mayor Bloomberg gave enough of the city away to his friends.
Crain's New York Business today announced their endorsement of Joe Lhota for mayor of New York City.
Boiling down the two mayoral candidates to their basic experience and skill makes our choice clear.
Despite the candidates' rhetoric, picking the city's next mayor is not
about Bill de Blasio returning New York to its crime-ridden past or
Joseph Lhota implementing Tea Party policies. It's not even about their
actual goals, which are similar: Both men aim to address the struggles
of average New Yorkers, to stop punishing small businesses, to increase
the city's supply of affordable housing and to expand early-childhood
education.
Rather, New Yorkers should choose the candidate most capable of
fulfilling these ambitions in an unusually challenging fiscal
environment, judging by the latest battle in Washington. That depends
not on ideology or charisma, but on management skill and familiarity
with government. It also demands an understanding of the private
sector's role in supporting the many public services that help make New
York a global center of corporate might and entrepreneurial moxie. On
all those counts, Mr. Lhota is the superior choice.
A moderate Republican with a libertarian bent, Mr. Lhota has a résumé
tailor-made for the job. He was finance commissioner, budget director
and a deputy mayor in the 1990s, and knows city government down to its
granular details. Before his public service, he was an investment
banker, and after it, was a top executive at Cablevision and Madison
Square Garden. He then ran the Metropolitan Transportation Authority,
famously getting the world's largest transit system rolling again after
Superstorm Sandy.
Mr. Lhota, like all candidates, has shortcomings. He's not exactly
inspirational, which would be a nice quality for a mayor, though not
essential. While his ideas are good—such as dramatically increasing
teacher training and building affordable housing on unneeded Postal
Service and MTA properties—he hasn't offered enough big ones to capture
the public's imagination.
Yet his strengths more than compensate. The first function of the
city's CEO is to run its sprawling bureaucracy, and Mr. Lhota has the
ability and experience to do that exceptionally well. He would break
down the silos in which some city agencies reside, ensuring that they
work together and within a clear chain of command. At the same time, he
would not run roughshod over commissioners who understand their fields
far better than he does. Mr. Lhota possesses a refreshing combination of
competence and humility.
Mr. de Blasio also knows government well, having worked in it or with
it his entire career. But the Democrat's management experience is thin,
and he has not made a case for himself as chief executive. His economic
plan centers on business mandates—a dubious strategy—and his school
expansion depends on an unlikely tax increase, whereas Mr. Lhota would
fund prekindergarten expansion by finding budget efficiencies. That
exemplifies their differing philosophies.
For his breadth of knowledge, managerial expertise and mastery of city government, Crain's endorses Joseph Lhota for mayor.
Bill deBlasio says that he will continue the fight to ban Sugary Sodas
As for the failed ban on selling sugary sodas over 16 ounces by Mayor Bloomberg that was struck down in a lawsuit, Mayoral candidate Bill deBlasio has said that he will continue the fight in the courts to have that decision overturned.
"I think the mayor is right and I would continue the legal process" deBlasio said in an interview. He added "the ban would help combat childhood obesity in particular". As a parent he called the fight against childhood obesity a losing battle against an enemy that is the growing with the availability of bigger and bigger sugary drinks. On the issues of health deBlasio often agrees with current Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his effort to make people eat healthier.
Deblasio's opponent Joe Lhota is opposed to continuing the fight against sugary sodas, and the big question is how can Lhota capitalize on the issue to get votes away from deBlasio.
Friday, October 18, 2013
BRONX VETERANS TREATMENT COURT OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY Mon. October 21
To ALL VETERANS, VA Staff, friends and family, you are cordially invited to the…
BRONX VETERANS TREATMENT COURT
BRONX COURT
OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY
Monday, October 21, 2013
NOON – 2PM
Monday, October 21, 2013
NOON – 2PM
Bronx Hall of Justice
265 E. 161st St., 7th Floor
Bronx, NY 10451
265 E. 161st St., 7th Floor
Bronx, NY 10451
